A CHEPSTOW boy won a silver medal in a national radio station’s competition to find the most promising authors across the country.

Nick Lockhart, a Year 7 pupil at Wyedean School, was invited to the Hay Festival as a guest of BBC Radio 2 as part of Chris Evans’ breakfast show’s 500 Words story competition.

His story, Diary of a Minotaur, was placed in the top 50 stories in the age ten to 13 category – but he learned he was in the top three when they were named live on the radio station on Friday morning.

Nick and his mum, Liz, needed to leave Chepstow at 4.30am on Thursday to arrive at the festival in time for the announcement.

As part of his win, his story was read live on-air by children’s entertainers Dick and Dom. He also managed to get their autographs. It read: “To Nick, Bogies! From Dick, Dom and the Minotaur.”

As part of his achievement, he will also be given books which, when stacked up, measure 5’2”.

The BBC Radio 2 breakfast show has ten million listeners and 118,632 of them had entered this year’s competition since it launched in January.

To hear Dick and Dom reading out Diary of a Minotaur, visit bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0201js0