A GROUP of Gwent teenagers fed up with the lack of information about HIV came up with their own hard-hitting video on safe sex.

And now they've scooped a Europe-wide award and have been nominated for a top UK prize.

The four boys, all from Blaenavon, wrote and starred in their own film which has been distributed to three different local authorities in Gwent. Their video, Johnny Good is a tough story about the dangers of unprotected sex.

As well as gaining special recognition in the Europe-wide Deutsche Bank Spotlight Community Awards last summer, it was nominated for a Prince's Trust backed Brewin Dolphin Community Project award this week.

Tunell Morgan, 15, Scott Evans, 16, Henry Jones, 16, Alan Humphries, 15, and Robert Harrison 16, who attend the Doorway Youth Centre in Blaenavon, all helped write the story and acted in the video.

The group netted £5,000 from the Princes' Trust to make the video. "It's a unique project because its quite unusual to get young guys involved in something like this," said project co-ordinator Sianne Morgan.

She added: "About 80 per cent of the young people who usually volunteer for this kind of project are female."

The storyline revolves around a teenager who practises unsafe sex and becomes HIV positive.

"We wanted to make the film because we thought there was a lot of information out there for girls but not enough for boys about HIV and Aids," said Henry, who lives in Ty Fry Close.

The group was inspired when they saw a dire 1980's public health film for young people

"It's a story about someone who doesn't have much experience and ends up having unprotected sex," said Tunell, from Capel Newydd Avenue. He added: "There is a lot of ignorance among teenagers about HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, so hopefully the video will help."

To make the story believable the group was assisted by a specialist HIV worker.

The video also made the top three in the Youth Work in Wales Excellence Awards.