Youngsters are hoping to impress Robbie Williams with a film recreating his childhood.

Members of the award-winning Stanfields Youth Inclusion Project (YIP) - who are themselves growing up on the superstar's old stomping ground of Burslem - are taking part in a competition being run on his website.

The group are producing a film complementing one of his new songs 'The 80s' in which he sings about growing up in the Potteries Mother Town.

As part of their mission, they are following their own Robbie-like teenager as he gets involved in the same adventures as the man himself - such as visiting Vale Park, where young Robbie spent many a happy Saturday afternoon.

The roles of actors, writers and crew have been split between the 25-strong group.

Their production will also form part of the Projecting Stoke scheme, run by Birmingham-based Hi8us Midlands.

[More:]

YIP co-ordinator Rob Green said: "Port Vale have been really helpful letting us film there, and we're also going to other parts of Burslem as well. All the ideas came from the young people. We had a story board meeting on Tuesday and the response was fantastic. They decided what sort of film it should be and what characters should be in it.

"They've been fantastic. They were all up early this morning in their school uniforms for the shoot, even though it's half-term.

"Originally we were going to make the film to promote the project as part of Hi8us's Projecting Stoke scheme.

"We started working with Darren Teale at Junction 15 video productions, and he told us about the competition Robbie was running on his website.

"So then we changed our plans a little bit, and now we're making the film both for Hi8us and the competition."

Robbie is working with seven independent filmmakers to create a series of short films to complement tracks from his new album, Rudebox. The competition is aimed to find an eighth film to go with 'The 80s' .

The YIP's short film will follow 14-year-old Connor Harrison in and around Burslem.

Project worker Amanda Campbell said: "They were all aware of the things in the area that Robbie mentions in the song, which made it easier for them to make the film."

Darren Teale, from Junction 15, said: "I'm helping the project by providing the equipment and telling them how to use it, but it's the kids themselves who are making the film. The ideas they came up with were fantastic, filling six pages of a flip chart.

"They're making this film and they're actually from the same place Robbie was from. The song is about all the things he did when he was young in the 1980s, and these kids do all the same things."

The YIP, launched in 2002, won a National Community Safety Award after helping to slash crime levels in Stanfields.

The winners of the competition - to be chosen by a panel of judges including Lord Puttnam, Jonathan Ross, head of T4 Jules Oldroyd, and Robbie himself - will scoop a £7,500 prize.

Connor Harrison, aged 14, from Sherwin Road, Stanfields, is playing the character Robbie in the film.

He said: "It's been a really good project to be involved with. It's been a good experience, finding out what pop stars do when they make music videos. We all came up with the ideas, like coming to the Vale."

Kirsten Barlow, aged 14, from Mill Hill, said: "It's good we're doing something like this. I've never done any film-making before.

"I've learnt that even when you're embarrassed about doing something, you've just got to get on with it."

Lauren Royal, aged 15, of Norris Road, Stanfields, said: "We came up with loads of ideas for the film, but I'm not going to say what they are. You'll just have to wait for the film to be finished and see."

Jarel Vernon, aged 14, of Sherwin Road, said: "I've been listening to his music all my life, so doing something like this is a dream come true.

"I think I would like to do more things like this in the future."

Source: The Sentinel