ESTEEMED author Hayley Long who graduated from Aberystwyth University with a degree in English literature in 1992 has won the 2018 English language Tir na n-Og literature prize.

Organised by the Welsh Books Council, the award celebrates the best English-language title with an authentic Welsh background.

The Nearest Faraway Place is a young adult novel about two boys, Dylan and Griff, and their attempts to overcome a tragic accident that changes their lives forever.

The story is set in both New York and Aberystwyth, with flashbacks to a range of exotic locations around the world, and follows the boys as they try to rebuild their lives.

Hayley lives in Norwich, but it was her student days in Aberystwyth that inspired her prize-winning novel.

Hayley has fond memories of residing at Pantycelyn, despite not being a Welsh speaker, and of the hall’s warden, Dr John Davies.

Hayley said “Aberystwyth made a fundamental and lasting impression on me. The journey from Felixstowe used to take at least nine hours by train and I can still remember that sensation of relief and happiness and excitement each time the train pulled into Aber and I saw the National Library all lit up on the hillside.

“I don’t think I was aware of it then, but the town and the university left an indelible mark on me and I will always love them both and that’s precisely why the second half of The Nearest Far Away Place could only ever be set in Aberystwyth."

See this week’s south papers for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition tomorrow