Simply the best

A former Pembrokeshire primary school pupil has won two runner-up prizes in a national website competition for gifted children.

Tallulah Ray, who attended Ysgol Brynconin in Llandissilio, was nominated by her fellow contributors for both a poetry and art award on the publishinghouse.me.uk website.

Her entries, which were the only ones from Wales, included the poem Darkness and art work entitled The Beekeper.

Tallulah's contributions were recently judged at the web site's award ceremony at Coventry University, where she won runner up prizes in both categories for the under-11 age group.

To mark her achievements Councillor Huw George, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People visited Ysgol Brynconin to present Tallulah, now 12, with her awards at a special ceremony.

Headteacher Elin Evans said the school was very proud of its former pupil, who now attends Ysgol DyffrynTaf.

"Tallulah very much deserves her prizes as she loves writing and creative work," she said. "It's wonderful that she is also inspiring other youngsters."

Darkness, which was inspired by classwork about Helen Keller, is one of Tallulah's regular written and art contributions to the web site, which attracts 17,000 contributors.

The poem won the web site's April prize and Bob Woodall primary consultant for the West Midlands Gifted and Talented schools group from the University of Wolverhampton visited Brynconin School in June to present her with her prize.

Photograph: Tallulah is pictured with Councillor Huw George, Elin Evans and Ann Rees Phillips (right) Head of Lower School at Ysgol Dyffryn Taf.