Harry Potter fan Edwina McEachran was so inspired by the exploits of her fictional hero she decided to put pen to paper herself.

Now a fantasy letter written by the 11-year-old, who is a pupil at Chesswood Middle School in Worthing, has been published in an anthology of messages to Harry, the young trainee wizard who stars in the four books by author JK Rowling.

The anthology, called Kids' Letters To Harry Potter, pays homage to the way the trainee wizard has caught the imagination of youngsters.

Edwina, an avid follower of the adventures of Harry and his friends at their boarding school the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, decided to write him a letter after seeing an advert for a competition.

She said: "I am very pleased my letter was chosen. It was really fun to write.

"I have always enjoyed reading Harry Potter and it was like making up the story for myself as I went along.

"I really got into the fantasy of it which was something I liked a lot."

Edwina, of Meadow Road, Worthing, used her letter to side with the trainee wizard, who was created by author JK Rowling, against the cruel and insensitive relatives with whom he lives.

She said: "I wrote about what it was like for him living at home with his horrible aunt and uncle because his parents died."

It is not the first time Edwina's work has been published. Three of her poems have been published on web site poetry.com Kids Letters To Harry Potter is not linked to author JK Rowling. It is published by American publisher Carol Ann Graf and edited by Bill Uddler.