A new short film celebrating Midsomer Norton's 'High Street heroes' has been named Best Animated Short by Cotswold International Film Festival. Created by filmmaker Howard Vause in collaboration with Midsomer Norton Primary School children aged 10-11, it tells the stories of individuals who have made a difference in their communities, or who have achieved great things in their lives and careers.

All of the 'heroes' have close connections to familiar places and spaces in Midsomer Norton – from the Beauchamp Sisters, who grew up on Welton Manor Farm and became prominent suffragettes, to Ian Jennings, who played an important role in creating Midsomer Norton's skatepark. Also featured are Duncan Steel, space scientist, Chris Urch, playwright and LGBTQ+ activist, and Sarah Ann Thompson, namesake for the former Sarah Ann Trust.

One young filmmaker commented: "I didn't know about any of these people before we did the project, but I think people should know about them. If more people knew how many important people came from Midsomer Norton, we might get more tourists here! Filmmaking is a lot of fun. I haven't been in front of a camera like that before and it makes me feel confident, even though I was a bit nervous of getting things wrong at first."

The film was launched in Midsomer Norton Community Trust's new community hub, Unit 14, in May. Over the summer, individual stories will be screened alongside feature films at the community cinema in the Town Hall. 'Midsomer Norton High Street Heroes' was produced by Midsomer Norton's newly-formed Cultural Consortium as part of Midsomer Norton's High Street Cultural Programme 2020-2024, and was grant funded by the Arts Council, Historic England, and the National Lottery.