PLAYING the part of feisty Peggy Blackett is a dream come true for 13-year-old Burneside schoolgirl Hannah Jayne Thorp.

She spent an idyllic summer filming adventures with her on-screen sister Nancy (Seren Hawkes) aboard their black-painted Amazon sailboat, flying the Jolly Roger flag and battling it out with the Swallows, the Walker children.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Hannah Jayne told the Gazette how excited she was to celebrate with her family and the cast and crew at the Keswick premiere. "It was an unbelievable experience. I've never lived anything like that before," said the Queen Katherine School pupil, who acts with the Tread drama school there.

"The audience were really good; people who were really big Arthur Ransome fans were coming up to me and telling me it really changed their opinion of the film."

Just two weeks ago, Hannah Jayne and her family - dad Adam, mum Jayne and five-year-old twins Harry and Archie - moved back into their Burneside home for the first time since December's floods.

"Our house was uninhabitable," said mum Jayne. "As the water was rising, Hannah said: 'It's a good job I had those sailing lessons!'"

She was among more than 800 young people to audition for the coveted child roles, with producer Nick Barton seeking "children to be as natural as possible" at the workshops.

"Peggy is kind of a rough, crazy character, pretty much a bit like me in real life," said Hannah Jayne. "She's really cheeky towards her sister, Nancy. I really enjoyed playing her. It felt as if I was playing a really good character, a down-to-earth character who would do no harm."

This week, Hannah Jayne and the cast returned to Wild Cat Island, on Derwentwater, to be presented with Blue Peter badges. Her mum told the Gazette how proud she was of her modest, hard-working daughter who kept the film role "very low-key and quiet".

"She's the most humble person," said Jayne. "I couldn't be more proud because the work ethic that she displayed, the maturity towards her role and the commitment were undeniable. The whole experience has been magnificent and I'm unbelievably proud that she represents the Lake District. It's our home and we are so proud of it."

Hannah Jayne said the young cast "all became really close friends" on set and she shared her admiration for "inspirational" director Philippa Lowthorpe and for the "lovely, kind and gentle" Kelly Macdonald, who plays Mrs Walker.

The talented teen is now looking forward to seeing the film with her friends at the cinema in August, and says she hopes to pursue her acting career.