A BRIGHT schoolgirl who was crowned an Energy Efficiency Champion has been rewarded with a brand new bike.

Nine-year-old Kirsty Turner, a pupil at St Teresa's Catholic Primary School in Newtown, was presented with her prize and a special trophy after consistently proving to be her school's most environmentally aware pupil.

The Energy Champion scheme, which is run in several local schools by St Helens Council and Helena Housing, encourages youngsters, like Kirsty, to recycle and save energy as much as possible.

The scheme is supported by Paul Jackson, an Energy Efficiency Advisor with the Council, who advises school pupils on energy efficiency and provides central heating and general energy information to Helena Housing tenants.