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A BOY from Wales is likely to become an overnight star when a new children's reality show hits television screens this week.

Cardiff's James Smith, 11, was hand-picked from 6,000 applicants to take part in the ITV show Splash Camp, which saw 10 children camp in the Cotswolds for three weeks and compete in a host of battle-of-the-sexes activities.

But a Welsh children's organisation last night voiced concerns about the involvement of young children in reality televisionprogrammes.

Catriona Williams is chief executive of Children in Wales, the umbrella organisation for all children's organisations in Wales

She said, "There are many questions about reality TV shows in terms of the psychological impact they can have on children, particularly if they are not aware of what the consequences might be. Children should not be exploited in any sense, and appearing on a reality type of programme is not to be encouraged.

"If children have a bad experience on a show it could make them the focus of negative attention from peers when they return to school. We've had experiences where children have been in a variety of media situations and suffered bullying on their return to school.

"It's possible the effects of being away from the normal support groups of family and friends at a potentially vital time of their schooling could be negative as well as enjoyable."

The show will be aired every Friday on ITV, with the champion winning a holiday in the Mediterranean with their families.

The five girls and five boys undertook weekly water sports challenges, including kayaking, water-skiing and windsurfing. The winners of each challenge were rewarded with bowling trips and slap-up meals, while the losers were marooned on an island with only anchovies to eat.

James's mother, Ann-Marie Borley-Smith, 38, a supervisor at B&Q, said, "The only problem we had was that he had only been in high school for two weeks before he went away.

"We didn't realise how big the programme was going to be. We were torn between him going and not going but we are really glad he did because of all the sports and the experiences and meeting other children, he had a fabulous time.

"We have nothing negative to say, James had a very good experience."

Her son said, "We learned all new water sports and I met new friends from different places in the country. My friends are really excited about seeing me on TV and they've been telling me how lucky I am to be on TV and theonly one to be picked from Wales."

The children camped out in a specially designed set, similar to that of ITV's I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!.

The show was paid for by the British Marine Federation (BMF) in a bid to attract more children to the world of water sports.

James Gower, BMF director of marketing and executive producer of the programme, said, "Splash Camp was amazing and we can't wait to see it broadcast on Friday.

"The children learned and enjoyed a wide range of water sports and we really hope the programme will encourage children from all over Britain to have a go themselves."

James, a pupil at Rumney High School, said, "I would really like to continue with the sports I learned at Splash Camp and am going to join a club as soon as possible.

"And I'll definitely try out water sports next time I'm on holiday. I loved jet-skiing the most."

Splash Camp starts on Friday at 4pm and runs for 10 weeks.