AN 11-YEAR-OLD from Suffolk who captured a cheeky garden bird peeping in through a window has scooped a national photographic prize.

Laurence Cawley

AN 11-YEAR-OLD from Suffolk who captured a cheeky garden bird peeping in through a window has scooped a national photographic prize.

Judges of the RSPCA's Young Photographer Awards deemed Molly Armiger's picture the best of thousands of entries for the prestigious annual competition and named her the champion at an award ceremony held at the Tower of London.

Molly, who lives in Cavendish, said she was thrilled to have won the top prize with her photograph of the long-tailed tit, which had built a nest in her garden hedge.

RSPCA chief photographer and competition judge Andrew Forsyth said: “Molly's spontaneous snapshot packs a powerful punch, beating off some serious competition to be the overall winner.

“Here is a real relationship between photographer and subject, conveying a rare and intimate moment of connection with an animal that is, quite literally, very close to home. Molly's photo was a real hit with the judges and is a worthy winner.”

Her victory was announced by the BBC's new Countryfile and former Blue Peter presenter, Matt Baker.

She was presented with the YPA trophy and Olympus camera equipment, which she will now be able to put to the test on an exclusive photoshoot with the RSPCA.