A student from Mottingham has been honoured for her work tackling homophobia at an event with Hollywood actor Sir Ian McKellen.

Tanya Kemp, who’s studying Fine Art and History of Art at Goldsmith’s University in New Cross, was shortlisted by equal rights group Stonewall in its Young Campaigner of the Year 2014 Annual Youth Awards.

More than 30 volunteers attended the evening, which saw the Lord of the Rings star present accolades to individuals who have helped fight prejudice and raise awareness across Britain.

Tanya, 20, was praised for her dedication to the cause and was also commended for her work curating an art exhibition at Goldsmith’s that focused on equal rights.

She has also been working to improve the university’s position in Stonewall’s guide, Gay by Degree, and has been elected as Goldsmith’s LGBTQ Society President from September.

She said: “Being a Stonewall Youth Volunteer has been an amazing experience. I feel lucky to be involved and even luckier to be shortlisted.

“The work that Stonewall does makes me feel as though it's possible to be myself and I hope that I can continue working with them to make more LGBTQ people feel this way too.”

The ceremony marked the end of this year’s programme, which was supported by Lloyds Banking Group.

The six-month initiative was launched in 2009 and has seen hundreds of young people develop and run campaigns to combat homophobia in their local communities.