Budding children's author Chris Sandiford has beaten off thousands of other would-be writers in a competition to create the best bedtime story.
Chris, 35, of Ford, Queensbury, has won through to the last 15 of the Once Upon a Bedtime story competition run by Sky TV's children's show Nick Jnr.
His tale, William and the Wish Biscuit, was inspired by his love of reading to his two year-old son Max at his beside.
And to his own confession that he has still not grown up.
"I'm still a kid at heart," said Chris, whose wife Julie encouraged him to enter the competition, which attracted 8,000 writers nationwide.
"I love children's books and I still relate to a lot of kids' stuff," admitted Chris.
His success follows a period when he give up writing after the disaster of losing a draft of a children's novel he had composed when his computer hard disc crashed.
"It really knocked me back. I didn't write anything for six years. My confidence was knocked.
"Then about three years ago I got back into writing, poetry and stories for children. And this competition has been a big incentive," said Chris, who in his day job writes technical manuals for military aircraft and has been scribbling stories since a small boy.
He dashed out his latest piece in about an hour and it tells of a young boy who discovers that every time he eats a biscuit, a wish comes true, until he ends up being able to fly.
"I had in mind the way I read stories to Max. I like to make daft noises and sound effects to go with the plot.
"When the organisers of the competition contacted me, I was gobsmacked to coin a phrase. I'd actually forgotten all about it," he added.
Chris is now in with a chance to become one of the three finalists, a winner and two runners up, who will have their story turned into a short animation to be screened on Nick Jnr in February, plus a special animation cell to take home.
The overall winner in addition will also receive a creative writing weekend break worth £750 and £250 worth of book vouchers.
A competition spokesman said: "Not only are bedtime stories a way to help toddlers develop language skills but they encourage creativity and allow their imagination to fly."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article