A PUPIL from Westbury Junior School will have the enviable role of pressing the big red button to blow the Westbury chimney up after winning a competition.

Nine-year-old Lily Sargent, of All Saints Crescent in Westbury, beat 600 other entries to win the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

To enter the competition, organised by the company overseeing the demolition, Tarmac, pupils had to draw a picture of the 400ft-tall chimney with the White Horse in the background.

Lily said: "It feels great to win, I'm really looking forward to pressing the button.

"All of my friends have been talking about it, I feel like a celebrity.

"I was really shocked when they said that I'd won but happy too.

"I've always enjoyed drawing and hope to keep doing it in secondary school."

The 30 finalists were judged by Dr Andrew Murrison MP, Baroness Scott of Bybrook, leader of Wiltshire Council, and Tarmac's Land and Natural Resources Director.

Lily’s mum, Emma Sargent, said: “I am a very proud mummy. My reaction mirrored Lily’s when I heard that she had won, we were both screaming and jumping around.

“A lot of people entered so it’s amazing that she has won. She must have got her artistic talent from her parents, of course.

“She’s very excited and can’t wait to press the button, it will be something to remember forever."

Demolition work at the former cement works started earlier this year and the chimney will be brought down after the rest of the complex has been demolished.

Rumours circulated that it would happen at the end of May but work on the rest of the former cement works has taken longer than expected.

Entries were open to all schools in the Westbury community area and the deadline was Friday, May 29.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook said: “I was delighted to see so many local children enthused by this competition. It will certainly give the winner something to talk about for years to come, and will see this distinctive and well-known sight disappear from the Westbury landscape.”