A PLAY tackling self-harm produced for secondary school-age teens by Pegasus Theatre has been shortlisted for a national public health award.

'Under My Skin', which was commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council and toured schools around the county earlier this year, has been nominated for a Health and Wellbeing Award by the Royal Society for Public Health for its work raising awareness of self-harm, which is thought to affect one in 10 teenagers in the UK.

Along with free lessons delivered at schools, Under My Skin aimed to encourage students to be more open discussing the topic with peers and teachers.

It has been performed at 27 schools so far, including Henry Box in Witney, Cherwell, The Oxford Academy and Fitzharrys in Abingdon.

In Oxfordshire an estimated 100 hospital admissions every year are due to self-harm.

Hilary Hibbert-Biles, the county council's cabinet member for public health, said: “I am incredibly proud that our public health department has been recognised for having improved and protected people’s health in Oxfordshire.

"Self-harm can be difficult to talk about and we wanted to use Under My Skin to help empower young people to discuss the issue openly and honestly, ensuring they know how and where to access support if they need it.

Award winners will be announced on Thursday, October 27 during the RSPH Awards at the Royal College of Surgeons in London.