A new mascot for Ashford United Football Club has been brought to life after a competition won by a local school pupil.

Ash the Tree is the creation of Phoebe Clark-Tate, 11, and will entertain crowds when the side plays its home games at Homelands stadium.

The Smeeth Community Primary School pupil was one of hundreds of local youngsters who entered the competition, which asked applicants to dream up a new mascot and give their character a name, explain its personality and how it represents Ashford United.

Phoebe loves designing clothes and in her entry she described Ash as an eco-friendly mascot who "loves sports and wants to get everybody moving".

Paul Bowden-Brown, the club's director of football, said: "Our new family mascot will add a bit of extra excitement to match days at Homelands and we love Phoebe's imaginative creation, who we'll be using to take part in eco-friendly community activities like recycling schemes and litter picks.

"Families can have an entertaining and affordable afternoon out at our matches and Ash joins the club at a really thrilling time, with the team pushing for promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division.

"We would like to thank Quinn Estates for sponsoring the competition and Mimics Productions for making the wonderful costume."

Phoebe's design was brought to life by puppeteer and costume-maker Sally Preisig, of Mimics Productions, who went to school in Ashford and helped form a panel of judges to find a winning entry.

She said: "There were five or six designs that we all really liked, but Phoebe's tree design really stood out.

"In her drawing and accompanying description, Ash came across as a great character, who would be endearing to all who would meet him and a great ambassador for the club.

"Having a lifelong connection to Ashford made the job even more special to me, as I never usually know or get to meet my clients."

Ash the Tree will make his debut appearance at Homelands when the Nuts and Bolts play Sevenoaks at 3pm on Saturday.