Once upon a time in the Midlands…
What does the director of BBC north Peter Salmon have in common with Year 10 students from Birmingham? The answer is an appreciation of young British talent. Talent that was celebrated at an exclusive awards ceremony at The Lowry Theatre on Tuesday 10 May.
In April the British Safety Council sponsored 11 students at Cockshut Hill Technology College to write, produce, film and act in a short film drama. The result was a deeply thought provoking film entitled Whose fault is it? which captured the point of view of a group of young people about to embark on work experience.
The film illustrated the theme of shared and individual responsibly for all people in the workplace regardless of their age. Characters in the drama depicted the disparity in workplace health and safety across organisations, unfortunately a very real consequence for many young people.
The Clapperboard Youth Awards 2011 gave young people from schools and community groups across the north of England an opportunity to get together, watch their films and to find out if they had won a special award for their production.
British Safety Council chief executive Julie Nerney gave a special opening presentation to the audience of 450 young people, parents, teachers and VIPs. She highlighted the sobering statistic that during just one day 12 young people will end up in hospital with injuries received at work.
In total 10 films were shown with themes around cyber bullying, racism, drugs and gang crime. Peter Salmon along with celebrities from Coronation Street, Shameless, Hollyoaks, Waterloo Road and new drama, Candy Cabs were on hand to present students with awards that recognised best actor, actress, film, make-up among a host of other talents. Whose fault is it? received a much deserved Alison Steadman Citizenship Award. Teacher Pete Glasswell received the award on behalf of the students.
