A FILM about testicular cancer written and produced by Blackburn youngsters is to be shown all over the country.

Young Muslim people acted and filmed their play "Small Steps" to raise awareness of the disease, which is often a taboo subject in Asian families.

The film, the first of its kind, will be used by Macmillan Cancer Care in colleges and community groups.

In the film, a young cancer victim discusses the stages of his disease with a counsellor, while flashbacks show his family's reaction to the news.

In hard-hitting scenes, he is accused of promiscuity leading to a sexually-transmitted disease, but as the family learn more about testicular cancer, they rally to support him.

The 15 teenagers from Healthy Living Blackburn's Youth Community Action Team, put together the 15-minute film after a visit by the Macmillan Cancer Trust, where testicular cancer survivor Bill Ryder, from Cumbria, talked about his experiences.

He first noticed a lump eight months before he visited a doctor, and by then the cancer had spread so much he had to have both testicles removed.

Abdul Mullah, who leads the youth team, said: "They wanted to make it more appropriate to the Asian community because that is where there are most problems.

"Testicular cancer is a taboo subject anyway, but in Asian families it is even more so, and is almost never talked about, so people can easily build up misunderstandings.

"They have brought in all the issues that they think happen in Asian families, and it's a great piece of work.

"Cancer is something that people tend to associate with older adults, but the fact is that the highest risk age for testicular cancer is 18 to 35.

"Men are often not very good at going to the doctors anyway, and for something like this which can potentially be a bit embarrassing, they often wait a long time. Those two or three months can be the difference between making a full recovery, or having to have a testicle removed, and even death.

"If people are not sure they need to seek medical advice straight away and talk to their families about it. That's the message we're trying to get across."

The film will be officially launched on Thursday at 6pm in the youth lounge at Bangor Street Community Centre, Blackburn.