AN attempt to create the world's biggest game of Chinese Whispers came to end on Saturday night with a message of positivity about the people of Stockton.

It is thought more than 10,000 people took part in the game which was organised to spread a positive message about the town before Channel 4 broadcasts Benefits Street, in the coming months.

There are worries the TV programme, featuring residents of Kingston Road on the Tilery Estate, will convey a negative message about Stockton to a mass audience and a Stockton Council-backed campaign called Positively Stockton was organised to counter that image.

As reported in Saturday's The Northern Echo the Chinese Whispers campaign was started by Stockton's world champion sprinter Richard Kilty on Friday. It started up again at Splash swimming pool on Saturday morning and came to an end on Saturday night when the message passed across the whole borough was revealed as saying 'this is Stockton'.

A Youtube video has been posted showing street dancers following the message around the borough, including by a gang of bikers, ice-skaters and clowns.

After the event, organiser Mike McGrother said: "We live in a world where TV and media provide people with instant snapshots of society; ‘reality' TV. "But we also know that the old adage ‘the camera never lies’ is, quite simply, not true. We have chosen to counterbalance the potential negativity associated with Benefits Street by doing things in a lovelier way. We have shown that a community can be given a voice and can come together for a common good and not a divisive bad."

The producers of Benefits Street, which is expected to be broadcast in May, have said the programme will focus on the positive side of Tilery's close-knit community.

Find out more about the Positively Stockton campaign here: positivelystocktonontees.co.uk The Youtube video is here: youtube.com/watch?v=Gd5_rz8LqH0