A TEENAGER from Waltham Abbey got the chance to chin-wag with Prime Minister Gordon Brown at No.10 Downing Street after she came runner-up in a nationwide writing competition.

Molly Oatham, 16, impressed the judges at Take A Break magazine's Young Fiction Writer of the Year Awards with her powerful and “totally convincing” story about a mother looking after her autistic child.

Molly's work, which was picked from more than 2,000 other entries, saw her narrowly miss out on the top prize, but still earned her a place at a teatime reception at the Prime Minister's home, where she also got to meet bestselling children's author Anthony Horowitz, who headed the judging panel.

Mr Brown congratulated Molly and told her: “You have been brilliant and you should keep writing and keep entertaining.

“We are very proud of what you have done.”

She also won some WH Smith vouchers and will have her story published in the magazine.