Five students from Bolton School Girls' Division have won the regional heat for Physics in this year's Planet SciCast competition. 

The girls had to produce a two and a half minute film explaining a principle of physics in an entertaining way to non-scientists - and demonstrate it.  The girls, aged from11 to 17, chose to explain about electrostatic charges using a Van de Graff generator, a balloon and a mad, old scientist.  The film used humour well and provided a clear and memorable explanation.  Their film can be viewed by clicking here.

Judges were looking for creativity, ingenuity and imagination as well as a good clear explanation.  They were made up of members of the Lancashire and Cumbria, Manchester, Merseyside and Yorkshire branches of the Institute of Physics.

Francesca Fernside from Year 7 said: "We chose to use the Van de Graff generator as a result of some Sixth Formers showing us how it worked in our Science Club.  It looked like a fun way of demonstrating how electrostatic charges work."

Having triumphed in the regional competition, the girls’ film was entered for the National SciCast Physics Award.