A PASSIONATE young journalist has won international acclaim from a troop of soldiers based in Iraq. Weston & Somerset Mercury reporter Charlotte Richardson went beyond the call of duty when she discovered rifleman Paul Livingstone was returning from Basra

A PASSIONATE young journalist has won international acclaim from a troop of soldiers based in Iraq.Weston & Somerset Mercury reporter Charlotte Richardson went beyond the call of duty when she discovered rifleman Paul Livingstone was returning from Basra to his home in Axbridge.In recognition of her efforts to track down his family, operators of the Basra Press Information Centre have given the 25-year-old their prestigious title of 'Reporter of The Month'.The determined hack searched high and low in the small Somerset town to get her exclusive, walking through fields, farms and cow dung in her mission to get her story.Despite not managing to find Paul's family, his fellow soldiers back in Iraq were so impressed with her efforts they bestowed her with the coveted monthly accolade.Major David Gell, of the Basra Press Information Centre, said: "Charlotte certainly gets 10 out of 10 for effort and resourcefulness."But she probably only gets a couple out of 10 for common sense, given it was a cold winter night and she stopped at a pub and didn't even have a drink. This raises serious questions about her suitability to be a 'real' journalist!