The project came about as a retalliation against negative portrayals of the town in the national media after the kidnap of Shannon Matthews.

As part of a foundation degree in digital photography at Kirklees College, the students were asked to take shots of some of Dewsbury's finest places.

Course leader Stewart Jackson said the idea came from his anger at reading articles about Dewsbury in the national press.

He said: "My anger and frustration at the seemingly endless stream of negativity, where even leaders of political parties contributed about a place they obviously did not know, sparked an idea for an assignment for my students.

"I challenged them to discover the 'real' Dewsbury, the face that the tabloids ignore or that is overshadowed by the bad press that a few high-profile incidents generate. I challenged them to find the positive aspects of the community, the place and the people."

The resulting images went on show at Dewsbury Town Hall during a Kirklees Council event to mark Spirit 09.

They were such a hit with visitors that now Kirklees Council is looking to project the images onto a Dewsbury landmark in an open-air exhibition.