An artist and photographer from Strood is enjoying the taste of success after winning a county-wide photography competition.

Jackie Hagan, 42, beat 500 other competitors to claim first prize in the Kent Life Your River photography competition.

The artists’ challenge was to take shots of the River Medway and the surrounding landscape.

Jackie’s winning picture, a panoramic shot of Rochester Bridge coated in a thick layer of mist, earned her a day out with Kent Life’s chief photographer Manu Palomeque at Fort Amhurst in Chatham.

She and the other three competition winners met with Manu to take pictures of Chatham for a special magazine feature on the town. Following the competition, Jackie exhibited her work at the Nucleus Arts Centre, Rochester High Street.

She is set to graduate from the University for the Creative Arts in Rochesrter this summer.

“Winning has given me the confidence to push myself forward more. It has helped my general confidence, and I have recently started training to become a mentor in local secondary schools.

“It has also shown me that it is possible for an amateur to compete against more experienced photographers on an equal footing, and consequently I will not shy away from future competitions.”