BLACKBURN College is the first place in the country where members of the public can make their own films.

The Digital Storytelling Centre, in conjunction with the BBC, will provide facilities for people to turn their own personal memorabilia onto the screens.

The centre will be manned by five staff who will run a series of workshops for people to learn how to tell a story, write a script, use digital cameras and industry software. It has been mainly funded by NW Brain, a part of the North West Development Agency.

The executive producer for the Digital Storytelling, Barrie Stephenson, believes a new generation of people are discovering creative skills through this project.

"By giving the opportunity to make television to people who never dreamed of being media producers the BBC is helping them to tell their story on the country's most powerful medium."

Blackburn College project manager, Alison Chadwick, said: "By getting involved in telling stories we hope people will be inspired to develop their computer, media and creative skills further and we have courses to allow them to do this."