A group of children inspired by the story of an ex-smoker who died of cancer have started making a short film.

The youngsters from The Warren School, Whalebone Lane North, Chadwell Heath, are making the film for the Cut Films competition, run by the Deborah Hutton Campaign.

The campaign is named after acclaimed journalist Deborah Hutton, who smoked as a teenager and died of cancer, despite giving up smoking and living a healthy lifestyle for many years.

The contest, supported by the Post and its parent company Archant London, aims to get young people to make two minute films about the dangers of smoking.

Here pupil Amy Richardson writes about how Deborah Hutton has inspired the group of students.

“This week we have be planning for a campaign on Deborah Hutton who has inspired all of our Princes Trust group, because she wrote a book on how smoking changed her life.

“Sadly she died a few months after her book was published because the damage of smoking had already been done.

“So our Princes Trust group are shooting a film on the damages of smoking and how it can tear apart families. We have started filming and so far it’s going really well.”