PHIL Hackett has put the stamp on his time at Herefordshire College of Art.

The 25-year-old student has posted his intention to make a success of his future career by winning a national prize.

Stamps designed by Phil will appear next year to mark the 150th anniversary of the Science Museum in London.

Winning the competition to design the stamps, against hopefuls from all over the country, means that Phil's decision to give up a job in a bank to study as a mature students looks as if it will be repaid with interest.

"At the bank I spent long hours sketching and doodling on bits of paper and realised that I needed to do something about it," he said.

Phil will cash in on his success with a £2,000 prize that will help him to launch a career as a freelance illustrator.

The competition was organised by the Royal Society of Arts in conjunction with the Science Museum and the design consultants Pentagram.

Phil has also had his work accepted by a company that promotes new designers' work.

Along with all the final year students at the college, Phil is preparing to see his work go on show to the public at the end of term Summer Show.

The Folly Lane campus has expanded the exhibition space into a marquee at the front of the main building and the public is invited into the college from Saturday to Wednesday, from 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday and from 11am to 8pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.