Students were honoured for their work in Merton Council’s award-winning New Year’s Day parade float.

The council came joint first place with Westminster Council for their Horsepower float in the annual parade in central London.

On February 24, council workers and about 80 young Merton students from Wimbledon College of Art received medals for creating the horse.

The Mayor of Merton made a speech congratulating them and the winning cheque of £7,000 was presented for the Mayor's charity.

Nineteen London boroughs competed in The Let’s Help London Challenge to design the best float themed on this year’s Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

After collecting the top prize in 2009 and second prize in 2010, Merton again triumphed with its float ‘Horsepower’, which celebrated the borough’s distinction of having the first licensed public railway in the world, the horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway.

Mayor of Merton, Councillor Gilli Lewis-Lavender, gave a special thanks to Peter Wallder of Colour House Theatre and students of Wimbledon College of Art for their hard work in building the horse.

She said: “I am proud to be involved in such an exciting event and have seen all the effort and creative ideas we have contributed for my charities.

“Merton has come in the top three for the last few years which shows the commitment that goes into this project each year.”