Young people from Swindon are fronting a national campaign to attract more volunteers to be governors in schools across the UK.

Pupils at Joseph’s Catholic College and Holy Cross Catholic Primary school dressed up as fireman and builders while talking about the role of governors in films made by Swindon-based film company Create Studios.

There are already some 250,00 governors in the UK but almost 1 in 10 places are vacant, with an estimated 140 places to be filled in Swindon.

The films is a collaboration between Inspiring Governance, the national governor recruitment body, Swindon Borough Council and Business in the Community in Swindon.

Eileen Brocklehurst, south-west regional manager at Inspiring Governance, told the Adver: “We needed a short sharp message for employers. We thought that using young people to get the message across would be a bit different.

“For the employer one we dressed them up in work costumes which were much too big for them to add a bit of humour.”

“It’s about the career aspirations of young people and employer involvement in governance really helps with that.

“It’s a bit of a sub-text to say that ‘these are your future workforce, so if you can contribute to their education now, it pays off in the future.’”

Marilyn Fitzgerald, director of Create Studios said: "Create Studios are delighted to be able to use the creative medium of video to promote this national and local issue. Our graduates have really enjoyed the challenge of making these two films, and we especially loved working with the talented local children.”

Thomas Craigie, from Business in the Community Swindon and a newly appointed governor, said: "Having supported Inspiring Governance with the promotion to recruit school governors, I was delighted to experience the benefits first hand, having been recruited as a governor myself through the website.

“A governor role is a unique opportunity to develop new skills and experiences; whether this is scrutinising the finances of a school, setting the strategic direction or supporting the head in a difficult situation. I strongly urge anyone looking to develop their own career prospects to be a part of the #JoinThe250k campaign and help to support our schools to be the very best they can be."

Employers interested in supporting their employees to volunteer can visit www.inspiringgovernance.org/employers to view the film and access further information and resources.