A South Derbyshire film director who left school with only one GCSE is helping to inspire young people in the area.

Deborah Haywood is backing a scheme aimed at building the confidence of young people and making them feel more aspirational about the future.

Deborah said: "I hope my story shows if you work hard and apply yourself, you can achieve success and be whatever you want to be. There will be obstacles, you will make mistakes, but there are no limits to what you can do."

She is now backing an awards scheme called RISE, which will honour youngsters who have achieved against the odds.

Deborah grew up in Swadlincote and was a pupil at Pingle Academy.

Deborah wants to encourage young people to aim high

She left the school with only one GCSE, in art and had a daughter at the age of 17. This motivated her to enrol at Burton and South Derbyshire College at the age of 23 in the hope of becoming an English teacher.

Deborah would go on to study at the University of Derby in Literature and Creative Writing, and then achieved a Masters Degree in English at the University of Warwick.

Now she's become an ambassador for RISE, which will hold an awards night on Wednesday, June 20 at Oakland Village, in Hall Farm Road, Swadlincote.

After Deborah's studies, she continued writing while in other temporary roles before getting short listed for a short film scheme run at Nottingham's EM Media, a regional screen agency.

Her first short film was called Lady Margaret and following the release she was picked as the Screen International's 'Stars of Tomorrow', in 2007. Her first feature film, Pin Cushion was shot around Swadlincote and opened Critics Week at the Venice International Film Festival, in 2018.

The film-maker hopes that her experiences will help to inspire young people across South Derbyshire through her involvement with RISE.

She said: "I'm delighted to be the ambassador for such a worthy project. I'm extremely passionate about giving youngsters the stepping stones to enable them to thrive and reach their fullest potential.

"I will be presenting at the RISE awards in June and I want to encourage people to come forward and nominate unsung heroes who have gone the extra mile in South Derbyshire.

"This could be pursuing an ambition, overcoming a personal barrier or making a difference to their community - RISE wants to hear from you.

Anybody interested in finding out more about the RISE scheme can do so by visiting the South Derbyshire District Council website online at www.south-derbys.gov.uk/our-services/education-and-schools/raising-aspirations-rise

RISE has been set up by South Derbyshire District Council and Derbyshire County Council's public health teams.