A PUPIL from Ashton Keynes has been named as a regional winner in a national writing competition.

Ruby Dorricott, aged 11, was picked as the winner in the National Young Writers' Award for her story Rushing River Rapids, based on this year's theme heroes.

Unfortunately, Ruby missed out on a place in the top ten nationally, but she did receive a certificate to celebrate her story along with personalised feedback.

Running for the past three months, the competition invited children from across the UK to write a 500 word story about heroes, whether that be their parents, a policeman or their idol.

Organised by tuition provider Explore Learning, which has a centre in Swindon, the competition is now in its tenth year and this year’s judge was world renowned best-selling children’s author David Walliams.

A record breaking 39,000 children entered in an effort to win a trip to Disneyland Paris and £500 worth of books for their school.

David Walliams said: “I was overwhelmed by the quality and creativity of the stories I was reading and was so impressed that this broad range of exciting ideas have come from such young writers.

"Each piece of writing drew me in and kept me captivated by clever and observant story lines and engaging characters.

"We definitely have some future star authors here.”

Charlotte Gater, head of curriculum at Explore Learning added: “This year’s National Young Writers’ Awards attracted a record number of entries so Ruby Dorricott should be very proud of their success.

"We were blown away by the number of children who were inspired to write heroic tales.

"It is amazing to have David pick our winning entry this year and clearly inspire so many children to put pen to paper.

"Well done to everyone who entered who has set the bar so high for next year!”