A CHESTER schoolgirl aged eight has been named a regional winner in the National Young Writers’ Awards.

Esmee Slin, from Boughton Heath Academy, penned a story called ‘Mr Whippy’ based on this year’s theme ‘heroes’.

And she stands a chance of being crowned the overall winner if judge and children’s author David Walliams deems her tale to be the best.

Organised by tuition provider Explore Learning, the competition is now in its 10th year and saw a record-breaking 39,000 children from across the UK enter in 2018.

They stand a chance of winning a trip to Disneyland Paris and £500 worth of books for their school.

The top ten national runners up will be announced on Monday, June 11, while the national winner will be crowned on the Monday, June 18, with a surprise visit from David Walliams to their school.

He said: “I was overwhelmed by the quality and creativity of the stories I was reading and was so impressed that this broad range of exciting ideas have come from such young writers.

“Each piece of writing drew me in and kept me captivated by clever and observant story lines and engaging characters. We definitely have some future star authors here.”

Charlotte Gater, Head of Curriculum at Explore Learning, added: “This year’s National Young Writers’ Awards attracted a record number of entries so Esmee should be very proud of her success.

“We were blown away by the number of children who were inspired to write heroic tales. It is amazing to have David pick our winning entry this year and clearly inspire so many children to put pen to paper. Well done to everyone who entered who has set the bar so high for next year!”