BLACKBURN schoolgirl Samantha Claxton has won a top environmental award for the second year running.

Samantha, 11, who attends St Wilfrid's CE High, has been named Whitbread Young Environmentalist of the Year 1999.

She won with a written project called Wildlife Around My Home.

Last year her study of British mammals won her the same award.

The competition is open to the children and grandchildren of Whitbread employees, as well as pupils involved in education/business links with the company.

Samantha won an environmental discovery holiday in Dorset with the Young People's Trust for the Environment.

Her proud father Andrew Claxton, an employee in the packaging department at Whitbread's Samlesbury Brewery, travelled to London with Samantha for a star-studded awards ceremony attended by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Mr Claxton said: "Samantha put a lot of hard work into her wildlife project which she completed during the course of her school holidays.

"She did lots of research and produced some fantastic drawings.

"We are very proud of her and will ensure that her award gets pride of place on the mantelpiece."

Whitbread's regional community affairs director for the North West, Peter Watkins, said: "As part of its community programme, Whitbread encourages all of its 15,000 North West staff and pensioners to get involved in their local community.

"The Young Environmentalist of the Year award aims to harness the skills of the younger generation."

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