THE PREMIERE of a film featuring a Darwen girl's big-screen debut is to be held in the town to raise money for charity.

Angela Lee is organising a screening of the film Grow Your Own, which features her daughter Sophie, to raise money for Derian House Children's Hospice.

The British comedy is the first major acting role for the 12-year-old and tells the story of a Chinese family who flee war in their homeland and claim refugee status in England.

Sophie's character, Phoenix becomes the head of the family after her mother dies while travelling to England.

Set in Bootle, the family are given an allotment plot by the Family Refugee Support Project to develop a sense of purpose and self-sufficiency, much to the surprise of locals.

The film is co-written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, who wrote 24-Hour Party People, and also features Benedict Wong, who has starred in a number of films including A Cock and Bull Story.

It is the first major film role for Sophie, a pupil at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, who has also appeared in TV shows Grange Hill and Hollyoaks.

Mrs Lee, 45, a mother-of-three from Beaumont Way, is staging the premiere at Darwen Library Theatre on November 19.

She said: "I don't want to say too much about the film but it is about a Chinese family who come over as refugees and are given this allotment which acts as a haven for them to get away from everything.

"The film has been shown in a few cinemas but we have decided to show it as the Darwen premiere.

"I wanted to raise money for Derian House because it does such a wonderful job looking after children and it is a good way for the town to giver something to a worthwhile cause."

Tickets for the screening are on sale, priced £5, from Lee Cantonese Kitchen, Sudell Road, Darwen, Darwen Library Theatre box office and King George's Hall.