YOUNG people can be utterly remorseless in their cruelty, much more so than adults.

And, as much as one can generalise about such things, girls often have it worse than boys.

It was a brave decision for Jodie Evans to pull her daughter out of school and you only have to look at the smile on Heidi's face to see it was the right thing to do. She is in a far better place than she was 18 months ago though it's a sad indictment of society that such a drastic step was necessary.

Bullying cripples a person's self-confidence and leaves them isolated, afraid and thoroughly miserable. People carry such scars for the rest of their lives and the longer it goes on the deeper they are. Sadly it is often the kindest, gentlest and most vulnerable people who fall prey to the bullies.

How fortunate Heidi is to have such a caring, thoughtful mother and what a beautiful gesture the prom is, not only for her daughter but for other home-schooled children in the area who should not have to miss out on the fun and youth's tender and precious rites of passage.