'I was standing alongside some of the absolute greats'

AN acclaimed author, poet and former Tees Valley Artist of the Year received a special invitation to join literary legends at Downing Street.

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Darlington’s Lisette Auton was invited to the Prime Minister's residence as part of Penguin's 90th birthday celebrations.

It was also in recognition of her work with the Puffin World of Stories Author Projects - an initiative run by Penguin Random House UK and the National Literacy Trust (NLT).

The author - who was one of the inaugural five Tees Valley Artists of the Year in 2024 - has now released her newest book, The Starlight Rebel, with Puffin. At a gathering in Number 11 Downing Street, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves also announced every primary school in the country will have a library by the end of this Parliament.