Young women at Sidmouth College were entertained, enthralled and entertained by an author last Wednesday.

Helena Pielichaty shared her inspiration for her teenage novels and had the Year Seven, Eight and Nine girls participating in creative writing challenges.

The writer told them her time as a teacher inspired her books, and head librarian Louise Harrison said: “It was refreshing to meet someone who gave a detailed, descriptive and delightful account of her background.”

The youngsters wrote poems from library book titles, making stories from small newspaper articles and writing scripts.