Last week author Hema Macherla (pictured, left) from Hornchurch has won the accolade of ‘Reading Hero’ for her outstanding reading achievements following a nationwide hunt for heroes. The award was presented by the Prime Minister’s wife, Sarah Brown.

Hema spoke very little English when she arrived in England decades ago. Determined to fit in, she decided to learn to read. Last year she became a published author, in English, and her novel, Breeze from The River Manjeera, reached the top 26 out of 44,000 entries for the Richard & Judy Novel writing competition in 2005.