TWO pupils from the same school scooped top prizes in the North West section of Royal Mail's Young Letter Writers Competition.

Laura Richards and Amanda Hesketh, of Rainford High School, took first and second places respectively in their age group.

The girls win cash prizes plus framed certificates which will be presented to them at a special awards ceremony for all North West winners to be held in Manchester.

As first prize-winner, Laura's letter goes forward to the national final of the competition to be judged in London in September.

More than 300,000 letters on the theme 'Great Ideas' were entered by children from all around the country.

Laura chose to write to Richard Branson about her idea for a rail link between Britain and America, built to lie on the seabed yet inside a huge, transparent tunnel.

Amanda's letter was to Ford's Think Tank to persuade them to manufacture her environmentally-sound, inflatable car which would do away with all parking problems.

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