A WHARFEDALE entrepreneur is asking residents to support his bid to pitch to Sir Richard Branson.

Simon Vause, from Pool-in-Wharfedale, believes his new social media platform for feature films could be a hit in the Virgin Media Business VOOM 2016 competition.

ViralFilmNetwork Ltd allows members to participate in every aspect of a film's creation - from script to screen - from the comfort of their computer, tablet or phone.

Simon, 46, is hoping local residents will back his scheme by voting for it at vmbvoom.com/pitches/viralfilmnetwork-ltd .

He said: "People love free.

"We’ve decided to combine this love of free with the Virgin Media Business VOOM 2016 competition so we're giving anyone voting for our pitch free access until initial voting ends at 11.59pm on Monday, May 23."

The six pitches that receive the most votes will end up being presented to Sir Richard with a chance of winning a share of £1 million in prizes.

The Virgin boss said: "Virgin Media Business VOOM 2016 is all about seeking out, supporting and celebrating the UK’s and Ireland’s most exciting businesses.

"It’s the biggest and most valuable pitch competition out there - we’re hoping everyone will find a way to get involved!"