A Whitley Bay youngster has won a place in the nationwide Elephant Parade art exposition.

Nine-year-old Katie Edmonds’ design will be painted on an elephant statue that will join the forthcoming Elephant Parade.

The parade is a public art festival, which brings together the worlds of art, business and charity to create vibrant parades of elephants that are sold or auctioned to raise money for the Asian Elephant Foundation, a charity which supports conservation of the Asian Elephant.

Two winning designs were selected, one by nine year old Kate Edmunds, of Whitley Bay, and the other by twelve year of Ryan Dickinson, from Walker.

Katie said: “I was surprised and thrilled to be chosen as one of the winners, I really enjoyed making my design and am looking forward to seeing it on the mini elephant.”