A YOUNG Welsh learner from Milford Haven has claimed first prize in a national competition for channelling her ‘inner pop star’.

Eleven-year-old Neve Harper, a Year Six pupil at St Francis School, won first prize for prose as a learner at the Urdd national eisteddfod competition.

Her winning entry saw her pretend to be her pop idol Taylor Swift, and writing an email to her mum about a fictional birthday party.

As well as a victory medal, Neve was also interviewed for a DVD which will be shown at the eisteddfod in Caerphilly this week.

Neve said she gets the chance to use Welsh all around the school, and so felt confident about her entry.

Headteacher Sue Roberts said Neve’s class teacher Miss Mansfield, who is also responsible for Welsh language development at the school, had worked hard to raise the profile of the Welsh language in the school, which in turn had developed children’s confidence in speaking it.

The school has a Cyngor Cymraeg (Welsh Council), made up of students from each class, which also writes and performs a weekly assembly to other pupils.