The mother of this year’s overall winner in the Telegraph & Argus Happy Tots competition said she was nearly in tears when she heard that her daughter had won.

Amelia Johnson, who is just 16 months old, was not only voted the winner of the one-year-old-to-two-year-old category, but also came out as the competition’s overall winner.

Mum Jessica Smith, 20, of Buchan Towers, Little Horton, Bradford, said she was overcome with emotion when she heard her daughter was crowned overall winner with a massive 824 votes.

She said she was out shopping at the time and was told by her partner Shafiq Johnson, Amelia’s father, who had taken the call.

She said: “I nearly started crying, I had a big lump in my throat and I was just in shock.

“So I just picked her up and gave her a big kiss and a cuddle.

“She’s only 16 months old, so she’s just oblivious to it all – I keep telling her well done and she just claps her hands.”

As well as winning a framed portrait, Miss Smith will also receive £500 of shopping vouchers to spend in the Kirkgate Centre.

She said: “There’s all sorts we need really, like safety gates, and Amelia has just got a new bed, so there’s bedding we need and everything.

“So we are just going to spend it on stuff that will come in handy.”

Ranaikh Heer was the winner of the up-to-six-month-old category with 487 votes, while Isabelle Holdsworth delighted mother Elaine Holdsworth by winning the six-to-12-month category with 794 votes.

The two-to-three-year-old category was won by Sarah Pizzey’s son Jenson Jennings, who received 320 votes.

  • Read the full story in Friday's T&A