AN EIGHT-year-old girl could be the winner of a competition for Herefordshire's new community flag, when the results are announced on Saturday.

Phoebe Holden from Credenhill prefers horses to drawing, but turned her hand to designing a flag, coming up against adults with previous experience.

After a short ceremony, the winning entry will be revealed when it is flown above Hereford Cathedral at 11.30am.

David Marshall, chairman of the Flag Committee sad: "Win or lose, Phoebe's achievement is already outstanding.

"None of the short-listing judges had any idea whose entry it was. She just seemed to have an instinct for what makes a good flag."

Her design showed an apple against a background of typical Herefordshire black-and-white half-timbering.

She created the flag as part of a class project at St Mary's Primary School in Credenhill, which art co-ordinator Emily Fosbury said was done "brilliantly".

One of the designers will, tragically, not be able to see the outcome. Deborah McKimm, 52, had a heart attack and died after she completed her bull-and-apple flag in April.

Her partner James Moffatt later signed the form and made the entry under his own name.

The other short-listed designers are Rhys Thomas, who grew up in Clehonger but now lives in Berkshire, Hereford College of Arts graduate Paige Defelice and Jason Saber from Kent.

The competition was open to all and received a 695 entries, but the vote, which closed on September 30, was restricted to Herefordshire residents.

The ceremony inside the cathedral, which starts at 10.50 am, is open to the public.