A campaign to build a new school has seen an animator scoop a regional award.

Animator Colin Thompson picked up the award for best cartoon, illustration and animation studio in the North West Enterprise Awards 2018.

Mr Thompson, who works closely with fellow creative Gareth Howells from Edinburgh, was recognised for a viral animation film they created in 2012 as part of a campaign by Edinburgh’s Portobello High School to build a new school.

The cartoon helped lobby local politicians and the Scottish Parliament so construction of the £40 million school went ahead in October 2014.

Mr Thompson said the former site of Portobello High had now been used to build another new school, St John’s Primary.

“We made the little animation and all the children shared it and it went viral,” he said.

“Now they have built a new school on the old site and so we actually contributed to building two new schools.”

Although he was born in Allithwaite, on the Cartmel Peninsula, Mr Thompson, 64, worked in advertising agencies in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh, working on campaigns for clients including Askit powders, Brooke bond and Baxter’s Soup.

He returned to Allithwaite in the mid-90s and now works independently from the house where he was born.