A schoolgirl has wowed judges with her 500-word story for a BBC Radio 2 writing competition.

Marcy Ellis Scarfe, 9, is one of only 25 finalists in the 500 Words 2020 competition after she impressed with her story, Anything is Possible.

It is an incredible achievement for Marcy, who lives in Ridge, because there were more than 150,000 stories submitted.

Marcy's story is about a seven-year-old girl called Grace Walker who lives just outside of Toronto, Canada.

Grace has lots of friends but she has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up and this upset her.

She had dreamed of becoming a firefighter but her friends laughed that she can't be a 'fireman'.

Grace's mother cheered her daughter up by finding a picture of a female firefighter receiving a medal for her bravery following a car accident - and she is holding one of the little girls she saved.

Grace's mum said they should contact the hero firefighter, who they found out was called Constance Baker.

Grace and Constance interacted - and in the summer Grace received an amazing surprise when Constance attended with her colleagues and a fire truck for her birthday.

The moral of the story was to be "proud of future dreams and believe that anything is possible".

Marcy, a pupil at Edge Grove in Aldenham, will now be involved in the final which takes place in June.

The final will be broadcast live on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on June 12 on BBC Radio 2.

The final was meant to be held at Buckingham Palace but it must now take place virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Marcy's dad Dan said: "We couldn’t be prouder (of Marcy). It’s such an incredible accomplishment to even get to the finalists stage with such stiff competition.

"We’re wishing her all the best of luck for the final."

To see and hear Marcy's story Anything is Possible, click here.