A RETIRED nurse has ach-ieved something most people only dream about - to write a script for a movie.

Audrey Barton, 69, took a screenwriting course at the University of Sunderland's Centre for Lifelong Learning.

Now she is looking forward to the ten-minute film appearing at screens across the region next year. The film is based on her moving story of an elderly couple affected by Alzheimer's.

The course teaches the basics of writing for the screen and gives students a chance to develop their ideas into short film scripts under the guidance of experienced writers.

Ms Barton, of Blyth, North-umberland, used her newly-found skills to produce Featherheads, which beat off stiff competition to be selected for this year's Stingers digital short film competition, run by Northern Film and Media.

Her film is currently in production and will be shown at Newcastle's Tyneside Cinema and possibly at film festivals across the region.

The course, Following the Script, starts again later this month. For details, call 0191-515 2800.