THE anti-drugs message will be delivered to children across Swindon if £60,000 can be raised to pay for a mobile classroom.

Swindon already has one Life Education Centre which visits all primary schools every 18 months.

Now the Rotary Club of Swindon and Thamesdown is spearheading a campaign to set up a second unit to visit primary schools on an annual basis and provide programmes for children in the first year of secondary school.

Life Education Centres is a national charity and the largest non-statutory provider of personal, social and health education.

Trained educators use hi- tech aids and toys to involve children in learning and encourage them to make healthy choices.

The Swindon centre was funded through donations from local businesses and is run as a partnership between volunteers, the Rotary Club of Swindon and Thamesdown and Swindon council, which employs Jeanette Whitmore, the centre's educator.

Jeanette said the sessions in the mobile classroom are meant to help children respect their bodies so they can make sensible choices when it comes to smoking, drinking or using drugs.

Happy Healthy Harold, a puppet giraffe, also helps make the message accessible to children.

Jeanette said: "We are not saying do not smoke or do not drink or talking about specific illegal drugs.

"From the infants to junior school we are trying repeat the message about respecting your body and elaborate on the information at a level appropriate for each age group."

Nine year-old Sophie McDonough is a pupil of Holy Rood Junior school where the centre is currently located.

She said: "We learned how to keep our bodies healthy and met Harold.

"He taught us smoking can give you cancer and a little bit of alcohol is fine. I think I will drink a little bit when I grow up, but I won't smoke."

Alan Nix, a Rotarian and trustee of the centre, helped set up the first unit.

He said: "It is working, we've had five years of success and we want to build on that. People in education believe children who visit the centres are four or five times less likely to be involved in substance abuse.

"We would really like to bring the programme to children in the first year of secondary school as well.

"That is the age when they are old enough to understand the issues but have not adopted any attitudes yet."