Photo contest to get black and ethnic community to fill in census

Residents are being invited to take part in an online photo competition as part of a drive by the Office for National Statistics to get the borough’s black and ethnic minority members of the community to fill in next year’s census.

Called ‘Then and now: family stories’ the competition gives families the chance to celebrate the personal histories behind the changing face of Britain in the last 50 years.

The census, the official population count, is held every 10 years

Contestants need to choose their most amazing, amusing or touching story to tell the world, using just two photographs and 250-500 words.

Entries must impress a celebrity judging panel including BBC broadcaster Kurt Barling, journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and TV presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli.

Prizes include high-end digital cameras from Olympus and winning families could see their pictures projected onto iconic buildings in major cities, including London and Birmingham

Details of the competition can be found at www.census.gov.uk/2011thenandnow.