A FIFTEEN-year-old student from Godolphin School battled her way to first place in the Marlborough Literary Festival this summer - armed with nothing more than her pen and a fantastic imagination.

With less than a thousand words to spin her tale, Deya Shergill created A Face at the Window - a ghostly mini-thriller with a devastating twist that swept her to first place. Deya, whose writing was deemed “compelling” by author and judge Mavis Cheek, will have her story published on the Marlborough Literature Festival website before receiving her prize of book tokens in a special presentation by author Helen Dunmore.

Congratulations should also go to fellow pupil Penny Moody, 14 , whose entry was described as “original and fresh”. Penny joins Deya in her literary success as runner up in the competition.