DALES writer Julia Chapman gave out the prizes at the first ever short story competition for adults organised by Settle Community Library.

Julia, author of the Dales Detective series of books, set in the fictional town of Bruncliffe, loosely based on Settle, had no idea what stories would be, the competition being open to encourage a range of topics.

Jane Dotchin, organiser of the competition on behalf of the library, said: "We decided to keep the competition open in terms of topic to encourage a range of stories, and a range is what local writers sent in."

Stories ranged from tales about young hedgehogs to old grandparents.

The celebration included valuable feedback from Julia and entrants will soon see their work in print.

A pamphlet of their short stories, produced by the library, will be available shortly for all to enjoy.

Settle Community Library hopes to make this an annual event, so potential short story writers should start planning now.