A Loddon school pupil has received national recognition for a history project at a prestigious award ceremony.

Jessica Stone, a key stage three pupil at Langley School, won first prize in her age group at the Young Historians Prize ceremony in Portsmouth.

Her project, which was titled 'Why the Battle of Britain was the turning point of the Second World War' gained the approval of the panel of judges, earning her the £100 top prize for her category.

The recognition was particularly pertinent, given that the annual competition is sponsored by the Spirit of Normandy Trust, which promotes the historical significance of the war her project was based on.

Along with her £100 prize, she was also presented with a personal certificate, a plaque and a check for £150 for her school.

The ceremony also presented the opportunity for her to meet a number of veterans and see a display from the Red Devils, though it was a particularly long day for her and her family, who travelled to the south coast and back the same day.

Hr prize was presented to her by Normandy veteran Ken Hay and marked the second time in recent years that a Langley School pupil has taken away top honours in the key stage three category.

There was also success for fellow Langley School pupil Keeran Langley, whose entry - Bletchley Park - was highly commended by the judges.

He received a certificate and a book token.

The ceremony, which was held at Southsea Castle on Saturday, September 30, was attended by the lord mayor of Portsmouth, several wartime veterans, supporters of the organisation and families of the winners.

A group from the Normandy Veterans Association from Norwich were also present at the weekend celebrations.

Jessica, who attended the ceremony along with her brother and mother, follows in the footsteps of previous winner Ellie Baxter, who claimed the top prize at key stage three level for Langley School at the 2015 awards, for her investigation into the role of women in the Second World War.

Jessica's project was unanimously selected by the independent judging panel.