A Thornaby graduate is celebrating beating more than 400 other applicants to a top job with car company BMW.

Claire Bruce, 21, from Whingroves, Thornaby, recently graduated with a first class honours degree in design marketing from the University of Teesside, and has landed a job with car makers BMW at their Bracknell headquarters.

Claire has worked on a number of projects involving car dealerships in the North-East including Vauxhall's Sherwoods of Darlington and she is currently working at Peugeot's Simon Bailes of Northallerton and Guisborough. She turned down a job with Rolls Royce Bentley in favour of the BMW graduate training programme.

She said: "I am very excited. My degree course provided me with a multitude of skills and the combination of design and marketing opened up so many opportunities.

"There were about 400 applicants with only two positions on offer, so I am thrilled to be given this opportunity. It is the first time BMW have offered positions in their UK headquarters."