THE winner of a summer reading challenge has been announced by Torfaen council, after a record-breaking number of participants took part in the scheme.

Maendy Primary School pupil Anita Arshi, six, was drawn from the 547 children who completed the challenge by the Mayor of Torfaen, Cllr Jessica Powell.

More than 1,000 children from the borough took part in the challenge, which sets the task of reading six library books or more during the school holidays.

It is a national scheme run by the Reading Agency, aiming to encourage children to read for pleasure and maintain their reading skills during the summer break.

Animal Agents, the 2017 Summer Reading Challenge, was based on a detective agency staffed by clever animals who are out to crack a case at the library.

Cllr Alan Jones, the executive member with responsibility for libraries, said: “The Summer Reading Challenge is a lot of fun and is a great way to get children reading more.

“More children completed the challenge than ever before, and it is fantastic to see so many children getting excited about books and reading.”