A SCHOOLGIRL from Accrington won a national competition for young writers.

Charlotte Corrigan, nine, was chosen by award-winning children’s author Giles Paley-Phillips from hundreds of entrants to the buyagift.com contest Her book, based on a set title of The Unexpected Gift, will now be published, illustrated and printed as a limited edition.

It will then be sold on the gift website, with all profits being donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation Charlotte said: “I was delighted to win. I didn't think that my story would be picked.

“I love writing stories about animals. It was really fun to enter this competition.”

The competition ran between April and June.

Dan Mountain, chief executive officer at Buyagift, said: “We’re all about getting people out and about on experiences, so we wanted to give young creative minds an alternative to marathon TV sessions over the Easter holidays.”