IT was a double whammy for Cheltenham screenwriter Jon Foster, pictured, who was honoured at this week's Children's Bafta Awards.

The 30-year-old, from Charlton Kings, was named joint best children's writer at an awards ceremony at London's Hilton Hotel for his work penning The Amazing World of Gumball.

The offbeat Cartoon Network sitcom, which has won critical acclaim in the UK and the US, was also named best animation.

Jon, a former pupil at Dean Close School, said he was delighted to get his hands on the famous golden mask.

"I was really pleased," he said. "It's a big team of people who work very hard on the programme so the award is for everyone who has been a part of it.

"It's a real honour to receive the joint best writer award alongside my colleague James Lamont.

"You have to work really hard in this industry and enjoy what you do to be successful.

"Hopefully this award will spur me on to bigger and better things in the future."

A quirky animated sitcom for children, the Amazing World of Gumball follows the misadventures of 12-year old Gumball and his family.

It features a colourful cast of characters, including Gumball's school friends, a tyrannosaurus rex, a cheerleading peanut and a banana.

The show was described in the Daily Telegraph online as "a groundbreaking series which cleverly employs several different styles of animation, often simultaneously."

It is the latest in a string of successes for Jon, who has taken the small screen world by storm since starting out as a writer in the industry.

His online film Bryony Makes a Zombie Movie was nominated for Best Interactive Production at the 2009 Baftas.

He has also written sketches for the BBC's The Armstrong and Miller Show and is setting his sights on a second series of Gumball, to be released next year.

"We're already writing the second series and we think it's funnier than the first," he added.

"It has been seen more in the US than in Britain so it would be great if people over here check it out."

The show is currently screening on the Cartoon Network in the UK.

Jon's parents Steve and Gay Foster, of Branch Hill Rise, said they were "hugely proud" of their son's achievements.

And there was a special mention from his former director of drama at Dean Close, Lloyd Allington, who spotted his ability at an early age.

"Jon was a wonderfully talented actor at school," he said.

"I remember with great affection a stunning performance of Ferdinand in the Duchess of Malfi as well as a marvellous revue he wrote and took part in in Edinburgh.

"We are, of course, delighted with his success."