OVER the past couple of weeks, you might have seen a group of young people with film and sound recording equipment gathered around an old blue car.

Local arts group Headed Note Paper have just finished shooting and editing their short film, Confessions of a Vauxhall Chevette. And they are hoping to show it at local venues before the end of the summer.

The film tells the story of the car and its successive owners, from 1978 to the present day. It was shot mainly in Malvern, with some scenes in Ledbury and Worcester.

Its makers, mostly students from the Malvern area, are hoping their achievement will inspire other young people with ideas to get busy and create their own work.

Headed Note Paper was formed in 1997 by David Grosvenor, Tom Salmon and Christopher Shipton as "a partnership of like-minded individuals who believe in the creation and promotion of art and artistic endeavours".

Confessions of a Vauxhall Chevette was directed by Estelle Cousins and written by Paul Roberts and Tom Salmon. Photographer was David Grosvenor, producer Tom Salmon and executive producer Matthew Blackbourn.

Past productions from Headed Note Paper have included Conversations, performed in 1997 in Malvern, and a multi-media day at Malvern Youth Centre incorporating the play, Names, Claims and Playmobiles, an event which rolled together theatre, live music, film and visual effects.

Last year, Christopher Shipton set up the Anonymous Groove music agency, which collaborated with Headed Note Paper to stage a two-day music festival at Avoncroft Museum in north Worcestershire. And earlier this year, they organised a short film night for Malvern Visual Arts Festival.

"We're not in this for ego reasons or to make money; we want to make people realise that if we can go out and get some money to make a film, so can they. It was just a matter of proving it's possible," said Tom.

Money to make the film came from West Midland Arts, the Elmley Foundation and the William Nicholas Trust. The local branch of Boots the Chemist and printer First Paige also provided invaluable help.

Cameras, sound recording equipment and editing facilities were borrowed from the Rural Media project in Hereford.

"Everyone has been very helpful and encouraging to us. We wanted to shot outside Hardwick House in Abbey Road, so we wrote to the residents asking permission, and they were happy to let us," said Tom.

One scene involved a bank robbery, and was filmed in Ledbury, with two actors in Winnie-the-Pooh masks running out of the bank and down the road. "It was amazing how many people did not really notice what was going on when we were filming it," said Dave.

Showings of Confessions of a Vauxhall Chevette will be arranged in the near future.