School children across Wales who sign contracts promising not to smoke could be rewarded with cash prizes or even a holiday.

Pupils between the ages of 11 and 13 are being urged not to start smoking since they are the ones who come under the greatest pressure to light up.

None of us want to let any of our friends down by smoking

Pupil Sam Jones

A competition geared towards rewarding children who resist the temptation has been launched again this year by the Welsh Assembly.

Classes will be able to win cash prizes and even a trip to Brussels as part of the European Smokefree Class contest.

All pupils in a class have to sign an agreement saying they will not smoke.

They renew that pledge each month for the duration of the competition, at the beginning of May.

However, if one pupil does smoke then the whole class is out of the contest for that particular month.

Working together

Children at Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones, Amlwch, in Anglesey are taking part in the scheme.

Pupil Sam Jones said the whole class intended to work as a team.

"None of us want to let any of our friends down by smoking," he said.

"As a result this gives us a great incentive not to light up."

'Don't start'

Natasha Roberts also felt the competition would be beneficial.

"It is better not to start smoking at all," she said.

"Once you start it is very difficult to give it up."

Delyth Francis agreed that it was not worth starting.

"The health problems that can occur because of smoking means there is no point in it," she said.

Wales's Simon Davies is backing the campaign

The competition aims to show that smoking is clearly a minority activity.

In addition it aims to discourage experimentation and help those who do experiment before they become regular smokers.

Many celebrities are backing the competition; they include Welsh international footballers Simon Davies and Rob Earnshaw plus the cast of TV soap Hollyoaks

Sue Bowker, of the assembly health promotion division, said: "Peer pressure can often give young people the impression that the majority of people smoke, while in fact the opposite is the case.

Fun ways

"The competition is a fun way for groups of school children to support each other in resisting pressures to experiment with tobacco," she said.

Some 15,000 pupils from Wales entered the competition last year

It is part funded by the EC and Wales is one of 14 countries taking part.