A teenager whose studies have been hampered by the foot and mouth crisis has won a £1,000 runner-up prize in a competition for agricultural students.

Karen Wonnacott from Patchacott Farm, Beaworthy, was one of seven finalists to make it through to the Unigate/NFU scholarship competition open to daughters and sons of farmers in the South West who are studying dairy-related subjects.

The 18-year-old student, who is on an animal science degree course at Sutton Bonnington, the agricultural wing of Nottingham University, had to go through two interviews before she was selected.

If the interview process was not stressful enough, Karen was also being filmed for a BBC documentary about life after the foot and mouth crisis which has been following her family.

'Karen had to answer some tough questions about how she thought agriculture was going and what the future would be for a smallholding like ours,' said her mum.

'We are so proud of her — to be one of the finalists was marvellous but to come second is just brilliant. It has certainly been a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.'

With her parents' farm right in the centre of the epidemic in Devon, Karen faced traumatic times in the run up to her A-levels which consequently affected her results.

Originally told she would have to achieve three Cs to get into Nottingham University, when Karen received three Ds it looked as though her hopes of becoming a vet were dashed.

But the youngster, who had worked with a local vet practice in her spare time over the last three years, turned her tears to cheers when the university accepted her results.

Mrs Wonnacott said with foot and mouth restrictions still in place, the 60-acre family dairy farm was not viable so she and her husband were unable to help finance Karen's studies at the moment.

'We have not had the disease but like every other farm in the area we are still suffering because we cannot move stock,' she said. 'Karen's studies have also really suffered but she is so determined to fulfil her dream that at the moment she is paying for most of it herself'.

Karen's university fund has also been boosted by a grant from the Okehampton Agricultural Show committee of £500.

The programme featuring the Wonnacott family will be shown on the TV in March.