Back in March when we kicked off our 10th Birthday celebrations we said we wanted to give something back. After months of hard work, ST16 are proud to launch an animated film for the charity SAFE@LAST that we hope will help make a massive difference in the lives of young people at risk of running away from home.

The HD 'southpark' style animated film premiered this week, will be used by SAFE@LAST in schools to promote their services and help show young people what happens when they get in contact with the charity. The film is also available on YouTube and the SAFE@LAST website where the charity hopes it will help build their online presence.

The film has been a labour of love for all involved. ST16's partners, Birmingham's The Audio Suite, donated their time to produce a stunning Dolby surround sound audio mix along with Roger Tidball from Ginger Communications who offered his creative and story telling expertise. Rapid Replication also kindly donated to the prize.

SAFE@LAST were the worthy finalists in a competition to win over £7,000 worth of ST16's video production services. ST16's Client Services Director Jeremy Stinton was on the panel that made the selection, 'After much deliberation we chose SAFE@LAST because we were inspired by the work they were doing with young people and knew our donation could help make a massive difference in a lot of young lives.'

As a young (or once young!) person it's hard not to find something to relate to in the stories the film portrays. Ashleigh, age 16, describes how life became so difficult at home and in school she felt her only option was to run away. After the scary experience of living on the streets of Sheffield, through contact with one of SAFE@LAST's project workers she was able to re-build her relationship with her Mum and return to college.

SAFE@LAST's Communications and Grants manager Clare Sherratt is very excited about the film's potential, 'We face lots of challenges in letting young people know about our services as well as communicating about what happens once they contact us here at SAFE@LAST. We were delighted when ST16 told us we had won the competition and are really pleased with the final film. It allows some of our young people to tell it as it is directly to their peers, honestly and openly. The fun animated style is something we know young people will really respond well to.'

You can view the film here on the SAFE@LAST YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/safeatlastuk