A talented 12-year-old has made it to the final rounds of a national songwriting competition to win him a chance to perform at the London Palladium.

Callum Hoskin, of Mersey Road, Witham, is the youngest of eight finalists in the Jack Petchey Foundation’s 15th Anniversary Anthem Challenge, which saw 40 youngsters compose a song with a theme of inspiration or achievement.

His song, called Make The Most Of Every Day, will be judged on the amount of likes it achieves on Youtube as well as a casting vote by a panel on October 1.

For the full story, see this week's Braintree and Witham Times.