STRETCH limousines, flash bulbs, screaming fans and red carpet treatment.

No, this was not a Hollywood premiere - but a piece of tinsel town came to Burnley for the day, as the town's youth theatre showcased its latest project.

Burnley Youth Theatre premiered their latest release at the town's Hollywood Park Cinema, in Manchester Road, yesterday.

The Dark Side of Fun is a film about crime and how it affects young children. And some of its stars knew the consequences as they had previously broken the law.

Young offenders were brought in to help with the project in a bid to turn them away from crime and get them involved in the arts.

And those behind the project say that's exactly what the film has done.

Arriving in a stretch limousine, the stars were given the full VIP treatment.

The theatre's youth arts development worker, Lisa O'Neill said: "Everyone had a fantastic day. About 70 people turned up and the people at the cinema were superb. They bent over backwards for us and gave us the venue for free.

"The feedback from the children was good and they all said they felt like stars and it was like a film premiere."

During the summer the young people spent three weeks filming with professional film makers from Seal Films, using locations around the town.

Funding for the project, run in conjunction with the Probation Service's Young Offenders Team and Lancashire Youth Association, came from Burnley Council and the Lancashire Youth Association.

And Miss O'Neill said the theatre is planning to stage another project focusing on the relationship between young people and the police.

She added: "We are planning another film project in the November half term looking at the relationship between the police, young people and CCTV. We are going to turn things on their head by portraying positive images of CCTV rather than the negatives ones you tend to see."