A BUDDING amateur photographer in Calne will have her photograph of a wren immortalised after supermarket chain Wilko's announced it would form part of their calender next year.

Sonia Hill of North End, who fell in love with photography three years ago, discovered last week that her photograph of the brown bird would be used for October in the store's Wild Bird Calendar next year.

"The win was unexpected and it was a really nice surprise," the 39-year-old translator said. "I thought there would be a lot of entries so I was delighted when I got an email to say that I had won. I often take my camera when out walking my dog Crystal and I was lucky enough to spot this little wren.

"The competition just flashed up on Facebook one day and because I had won a competition last year for meadow pictures, I thought I would try it again. It is something I really enjoy doing as it is really relaxing and it often gets me away from my desk which is a good thing!"

The translator, who also looks after her two sons Monty and Giles, said she has learnt a lot about wildlife in the area because of her hobby and enjoys sharing her snaps with others on social media.

Wilko's pets buyer Neil Fairhurst said: “The image really captures the rich, red tones of the wren and is a beautiful autumnal shot, perfect for the calendar. We were overwhelmed by the number of entries and quality of the photos submitted. The result is a stunning selection of Wild Bird photography for our 2018 calendar.

"There can only be 12 winners and we were extremely impressed by Sonia’s photo. The image really captures the rich, red tones of the wren and is a beautiful autumnal shot, perfect for the calendar."