THREE Teesside schoolgirls are celebrating after their letter-writing skills earned them top prizes in a North-East competition.

Emily Johnston, six, from Redcar, Lindsey Aston, 15, from Stockton, and Amy Puttick, ten, from Stokesley, beat competition from thousands of other youngsters in the North-East to take the prizes in the regional heat of the Royal Mail's Young Letter Writers Competition.

This year, children entering the annual competition, which has been running for 20 years, had to write about how they thought children would spend their leisure time in the year 2050.

More than 140,000 children aged under 16 took part.

Emily, from High Cliff View, Redcar, took first prize in the under-fives age group , impressing judges with a letter about special magnet boots which allow people to walk on rainbows.

Emily, who goes to Wheatlands Primary School, won a £70 cheque and a commemorative stamp yearbook. She goes through to the national finals of the competition due to be held later this summer.

Joining her in the national finals will be Lindsey, who won the 14-16 age group with a letter about creating hologram friends. Lindsey, from Billingham, attends Northfield Comprehensive School and wins a £70 prize for herself and for her school.

Amy, from Kirkby and Great Broughton CE Primary School, came third in the eight to ten age group with a letter about a computer which allows children to make their own hologram pet.

Nick Morgan, Teesside and North Yorkshire Area Manager for Royal Mail, said: "The competition is regarded as one of the best educational contests in the country. We believe it helps support literacy among young children and proves the art of letter-writing is still well and truly alive."