The Queen has written to a pupil at a secondary school to congratulate her on a collage made from over 1,000 stamps.

Nilofer Sait, 14, who attends West Hatch High School in Chigwell, produced a large portrait of the Queen in June to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee made entirely of stamps to depict the years of Her Majesty's reign and a large selection of commonwealth countries.

Miss Sait has been collecting stamps, postcards, coins and royal memorabilia since she was a young child.

In the letters, one from the Queen’s lady in waiting and another from her personal secretary, she congratulates Miss Sait on her “splendid collage of stamps” and the “kind letter” she sent informing the Queen of the project.

Miss Sait said: “The school helped my project come true and I did not expect an important and busy person like the Queen to respond.

“The Queen has always inspired me to think big and believe in my dreams.”