BUSINESS students from Stokesley school have seen demand outstrip supply for their new documentary video about the area.

The sixth form entrepreneurs wrote and produced a promotional video about Stokesley and Great Ayton, and copies were snapped up when they went on sale in local shops.

Now the youngsters are considering whether they can boost their company's profits by commissioning a second run of videos.

Business studies teacher Mrs Kay Willis said the video came about through a young enterprise scheme, which gave16 to 19-year olds practical experience of running a business.

Robert Goldsmith, aged 17, of Tameside, Stokesley, managing director in the project, hopes to become an accountant. "We had to finance, research, produce, market and sell the video ourselves," he explained.

"Before filming, we had to draw story boards showing the shots and continuity, and write a script. We filmed the footage on a camcorder and then had to edit it. Filming took about two months and editing was quite a big job.

"This is the first time I have done anything like this, I've really enjoyed the practical work. We held a meeting in the business studies class every Thursday and set objectives. It was good fun."

Martin Robson, aged 17, of Seamer, also filmed and looked after the budget. "To pay for tapes, stationary and tape copying, we had to raise capital through a share scheme, selling hundreds of 25p shares to our friends and family."

Lucy Peacock, aged 18, of Ashwood Drive, Stokesley, was narrator. "I come from Newcastle, but everyone thought I should do the voice-over work because I don't have an accent. They said I had the most understandable voice - which I took as a compliment."

James Harris, aged 19, of Faceby, hopes to study business or marketing, and was involved in selling the video. They were stocked in local shops and all 50 copies were sold. The group made £150, which could have been higher if more videos were made. This is being considered.

The other film crew members were Phillip Dodds, Ryan Davies, Samantha Hall, Tammy Bell, Emma Cope, Martin Robinson and Paul Whitfield, who designed the video case sleeve.