Smoke Free Nottinghamshire is urging local young people to take part in Channel 4’s new filmmaking competition.

Smokefree Nottinghamshire, an alliance of the Primary Care Trusts, the seven District and Borough Councils, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council is working with local schools and Nottinghamshire’s young people’s forum to promote the competition.

James Thomas of Smoke Free Nottinghamshire said: “This is an excellent opportunity to get the county’s young people involved in encouraging their peers to give up smoking or to avoid it all together, and help promote the harmful effects of tobacco in a fun, creative way. It would be fantastic if a young person from Nottinghamshire could win the competition and go on to produce a short film!”   

Channel 4 are inviting 13-18 year olds to come up with ideas for a 30-second film designed to highlight the negative effects of smoking, or the advantages of not smoking in the first place.  10 entrants will be selected to attend a workshop in London to further develop their ideas, before a panel of young people choose four winners.  The ideas of these four will be developed by a professional production company and shown online.