A YEAR 10 pupil from Wellington School has won first prize in a prestigious competition.

Ella Leonard rose to the challenge to write a tune for the new set of bells in St Mary Magdalene Church in Taunton.

Following the replacement of the bells in the church tower a competition was launched, asking local school students to create a new chime.

Ella won the 15-18 age group with ‘Carillon Carol’ – carillon is the official name for the set of bells.

Andrew Trewhella, director of Music at Wellington, said: “Ella is one of our music scholars who has played at a national level.

“We are proud that her musical skills also extend to composition and encourage all our musicians to be versatile and diverse.”