TRIMDON schoolboy Timothy Jasper is celebrating after winning a national story writing competition.

The nine-year-old from Sedgefield, a pupil at St William's RCVA Primary School, was successful in the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust Annual Writing Awards.

Judges said Tim's 750-word story, titled Life Through The Eyes Of A Fox, was the best entry in the nine to 11-years section.

The adjudication noted that Tim is a "talented writer with a vivid and descriptive style".

Tim was rewarded for his efforts with a certificate and a cheque for £100, which he is going to use to buy Premium Bonds.

He narrowly missed out on the overall prize of a silver trophy and £50 in book tokens, which went to Jenny Clapham, aged 14, from Scotland, who won the 12 to 15-years section.

Tim collected his prize at the presentation ceremony, held at The Majestic Hotel, Harrogate, where he was able to meet several up-and-coming authors and poets.

His winning story is to be published in Young Writer magazine.

This is Tim's second major success. He was the winner of Darlington's Young Poet Of The Year competition in 2001, organised by Faber and Ottakar's.

Many of his poems have been published in The Northern Echo and The Northern Cross and he has contributed poems to anthologies.

St William's headteacher, Sheila Doherty, said: "He has done really well. This was a competition outside school which his parents encouraged him to enter. For a child of that age to write in that way through the eyes of a different animal shows real insight."