WHEN it comes to finding a winning design for a Christmas card, Basingstoke MP Maria Miller knows exactly where to turn.

For the second year, Mrs Miller asked local schoolchildren to come up with their seasonal take on what her official Christmas card should look like - and once again, she was delighted with the end results.

More than 150 children from local schools entered the competition, which was to design a card that reflected aspects of the Houses of Parliament.

Mrs Miller visited Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School, in Basingstoke, to present winner Lorna Randall, 12, with her prize of book vouchers.

About 300 cards have been printed in the winning design - which was selected by a panel of judges - a watercolour picture of Big Ben.

Holly Hunt, 12, of Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College, was the runner-up in the competition and was also given vouchers. Her design, a cartoon of Father Christmas flying around Big Ben, will be printed on the back of the card.

Mrs Miller said: "This is a card representing Basingstoke, drawn by youngsters in Basingstoke - that's really the idea behind the competition. It's good to see that Basingstoke has got such talented artists."

Mrs Miller also visited Loddon School, in Wildmoor Lane, Sherfield-on-Loddon, to hand two students book vouchers for coming top in the 14 to 18 category of the Christmas card competition.

William Totten, 17, and Douglas Hill, 17, had impressed the MP with their colourful paintings. Mrs Miller stayed for a special presentation assembly at the school, which is the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom and provides education for young people who can no longer live at home due to their exceptional support needs.