A POWERLIFTER has been touring secondary schools in Ealing in a bid to inspire students with tremendous displays of strength.

David Gauder, known as "Big Dave", is spreading the message about the dangers of bullying, violent behaviour and gang culture amoung youths by pulling buses 50 feet in front of stunned pupils.

Having got his audience's attention with the feat, he speaks to the children about the significance of his skill as an example of discipline, confidence and strength of mind, all qualities he says are crucial to combating vital issues such as bullying.

Big Dave uses his own experiences of bullying to connect with the students he visits.

On Tuesday, as part of scheme run by the Metropolitan Police's Operation Curb, Big Dave came to Brentside High School in Greenford Road, Hanwell, to pull a bus and speak to pupils.

He said: "The reaction I get is incredible. To hold hundreds of kids in silence for an hour is no mean feat. By pulling the bus I get their respect, and then I can talk to them.

"I open by telling them they're all as strong as me in their minds.

"Kids have got to get that confidence in order to break this gang culture and bullying problem. Peer pressure gets to them as a result of not having confidence and that gets them into trouble."

To maintain his physique and ability, Big Dave trains a different part of his body for an hour and a half each day.

He said: "In my presentation I talk about the discipline of training.

"It's not a matter of just going to the gym, you have to ask the right questions about how to train, when to train and why to train. I always want to learn and I want the kids to understand they should want to learn and should be asking questions too."

Big Dave holds 26 world records for various feats of strength, including pulling a 200 ton jumbo jet down a runway, and holding down two heritage jet aircraft at full throttle as they attempted to take off in opposite directions.

He has been touring schools across the UK for the past six years, during which time he has pulled nearly 800 buses in front of more than 750,000 children.

He was first approached by West Midlands Police after they learned that he had been bullied as a child, and now works with 30 forces across the country.