A YOUNG bright spark from Stourport has been handed an out of this world prize recognising his hard work helping to bring the town's past to life for future generations.

Stephen More, of Manor Road, picked up his Local Heritage Initiative Star Award for the West Midlands at the Tower of London.

The 15-year-old received a certificate, £150 and has been given his own special place in the solar system after being handed the opportunity to name a star.

Stephen, the youngest member of Stourport Civic Society, has been involved in a project to update the historic record of the town by recording non-listed buildings and structures in a bid to safeguard heritage.

Information gained from "Unlocking Stourport's Past", a two-and-a-half-year project boosted by a lottery grant, will be transferred to the Worcestershire Historic Environmental Record.

The Stourport High School pupil, whose parents, David and Annette, are civic society members, has helped put together presentations, trained his peers to use a laptop computer and offered his services when it came to washing up after meetings.

The group's chairman, Pauline Annis, took the time to nominate the teenager for the award and said the prize was well deserved.

She explained: " When I heard about the award I thought it would be ideal for Stephen because he has made quite a considerable contribution to the group. I wanted to see that recognised and I thought this would be a fitting way."

Stephen said: "I could not believe it when I got the phone call to tell me I had won. I knew about the nomination but it was still a big surprise. I have not decided what to call my star yet. As a prize it is certainly a bit different."

People of all ages are welcome to join Stouport Civic Society, which has 70 members. Anyone interested should e-mail Mrs Annis at larkrise80@aol.com. To find out more about the project, visit www.unlocking-stourport

s-past.co.uk