Mother of murder girl in campaign for tolerance

Sophie Lancaster, 20, was kicked and stamped to death by a gang of drunken teenagers in a park in Bacup, Lancashire.

The gang turned on Miss Lancaster and her boyfriend, Rob Maltby, 21, who survived the attack, because of their alternative appearance.

Both fell into comas but Miss Lancaster, a gap-year student, never regained consciousness and died in hospital 13 days after the assault in August 2007.

Ryan Herbert, 16, and Brendan Harris, 15, were jailed for life for her murder.

Following Miss Lancaster's death, her mother Sylvia Lancaster and her daughter's friends and family set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation to campaign to change attitudes and promote tolerance.

Mrs Lancaster, a youth worker, launched the game yesterday on what would have been her daughter's 24th birthday. It aims to show youngsters how easy it is to be more tolerant and open their minds to accept all people, whatever their lifestyle or appearance.

The game includes 30 cards representing common ethnic, religious and social groups and subcultures; players are set a series of tasks which challenge preconceptions and encourage development in problem solving and team-working skills.

Mrs Lancaster said: "This game has been my dream since 2007, and it is one of the key things we, as a charity, can do to ensure my daughter didn't die in vain."

Further information about the game can be found at www.sophielancasterfoundation.com.