Their very own "Buddy Bench", courtesy of Bunnings Taree, was kindly delivered by Janet, the activities organiser from the Taree store.

The Buddy Bench idea originally came from Charlie, a nine-year-old school boy from Cairns who implemented it in his own school.

The Buddy Bench is a permanent bench at school where children are encouraged to sit when they are feeling left out or bullied. If a classmate sees someone sitting on the bench they are urged to invite them to play, walk or talk with them.

Mrs Gilchrist, principal of Coopernook Public School, believes this will be a very positive addition to the school playground. "Finally we would like to extend a big thank you to Bunnings for their generous donation of the bench," she said.