ENTERPRISING teenagers are hoping to win an award for their campaign to combat smoking among their peers.

Pupils at Brownhills Maths and Computing College are manufacturing and selling wristbands to stop youngsters taking up the habit.

The bands, available in pink and black, are currently being sold within the Tunstall school as part of an enterprise project.

But they may soon be sent out to neighbouring schools.

The project comes as The Sentinel campaigns to encourage 2,010 extra people to pledge to quit smoking in the next year.

Business studies teacher Marie Cunningham said the Stamp It Out team came up with the idea because they were worried about young people taking up the habit.

She added: "They didn't want to just come up with a product, they wanted to develop a support service as well and that's why they produced a website too."

Each band displays a link to the website, where other products carrying the group's slogan can also be bought.

And the site also contains a 'smokers' calculator', which works out how much the habit costs over a day and a decade.

The four-strong team were also at the Potteries Shopping Centre at the end of last month as part of a Young Enterprise sales event.

It was the first time the group had sold the products.

Judges from Young Enterprise marked the teams on presentation and also quizzed them on their projects.

The budding entrepreneurs had 500 bands made at a factory in China.

So far 150 have been sold for £1 each, with proceeds used to cover costs.

And the team will now work toward achieving a place at the Young Enterprise area finals later this year.

The school's acting headteacher, Sue Wilson, said: "It's a fantastic idea and supports all we are doing in the school with our anti-smoking message.

"It's wonderful they have chosen to take on such a topic and they really are a credit to the school."

Sarah Da Silva, managing director of Newcastle-based Da Silva Recruitment, has been acting as a mentor for the group.

She said: "I have been really impressed by how organised they have been."

Last year, pupils at Brownhills joined forces with pupils from Birches Head and Mitchell to produce The Dirty Truth About Smoking, a short film aimed at their peers.

Latest figures show about 2,000 people stop smoking in Stoke-on-Trent every year.

A spokesman for NHS Stoke-on-Trent said: "We are very pleased that the pupils have decided to raise awareness of the dangerous effects smoking has."