A YOUNGSTER from East Lancashire has become the first ever child to act as Beefeater at the Tower of London.

Vahan Salorian, 11, from Barnoldswick, donned the famous red and dark navy official uniform for his day at the landmark building.

Accompanied by his family, the youngster met John Keohane, the Tower's Yeoman Gaoler, whose shoes he filled for the day.

Vahan won the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a national competition run by Newsquest newspapers - the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's parent company.

He won the competition with a piece of writing about the Little Princes, Edward and Richard, thought to have been killed in the Tower in 1483 at the behest of their uncle Richard III.

Vahan, of Back Chapel Street, said: "I've had a really exciting day, I've been to London before but I've never seen the Tower - it's a lot bigger than I had thought."