An artist from St Neots has been highly commended for her work at the Wildlife Artist of the Year Awards.

The Hunts Post: The winning entry, African Queen.The winning entry, African Queen. (Image: Archant)

Angela Smith was recognised by the judges for her work, entitled African Queen, during a prize-giving ceremony at the Mall Galleries, in London.

The annual awards, launched in 2008, are backed by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and raise funds for the foundations conservation work.

Ms Smith said she had always been a keen painting but only ventured into the world of wildlife painting when she started experimenting with pastels eight years ago.

Her work has been displayed at art exhibitions around the country.

David Shepherd, who founded the awards, said: “The exhibition has once again been exceptional. The quality of the art made judging extremely challenging – the drama and technical excellence in all the work was quite breath-taking.”

Ms Smith’s entry was one of only 16 works that were highly commended from hundreds of entries.