TEENAGERS have been photographing their home turf to help improve perceptions of their Oxford estate.

They spent two days working with artist Katy Beinart and took pictures of parts of Rose Hill which they felt reflected its true nature.

The pictures will be exhibited for two months at Modern Art Oxford, in Pembroke Street, from Monday, April 28.

Ms Beinart said: "The idea was to get them to think about Rose Hill differently, and taking photos allows you to see things with a fresh view. People on the whole don't know very much about Rose Hill. They probably think it's just a council estate and that there's not a lot going on.

"Some people might pick up on some of the press and think it might be a dangerous place, but that's certainly not the case. What I see in Rose Hill is an exciting, dynamic place."

The teenagers took a variety of photos using digital and disposable cameras and pinhole cameras they had made out of cardboard boxes.

Their work is part of the Parallel World arts project - which aims to reveal hidden parts of the estate to the rest of Oxford.

The photo exhibition is the third event in the project, following a bus tour of Oxford's historic sites and a scheme which saw special Christmas lights put up on some houses.

Jordan Hearne, 13, of Nowell Road, said: I thought the photo project was really good. I liked finding a lot of new places in Rose Hill that I didn't know about.

"We took pictures of the park, because I always used to go there when I was little, and pictures of the nature reserve, because we thought it was quite a nice place in Rose Hill."

The Matthew Arnold School pupil added: "When people ask me where I'm from, I say Rose Hill, and people think it's a really scruffy area and full of people who aren't worth knowing.

"But I think it's quite a good place to live. I used to live in Greater Leys and the people are much nicer here.

"Hopefully the photos will show another side to Rose Hill and that it can actually be a good place."