A MUSSELBURGH boy enjoyed the trip of a lifetime to London after winning a national radio competition to choose the names of two new river buses.

Lennon Leadbetter, a 10-year-old pupil at Campie Primary School, got the chance to become mini captain of one of the vessels during a VIP day out in the Capital earlier this month.

He was joined by his mum Emma Paterson, 33, dad Gordon Leadbetter, 34, and sister Ailie McIntosh, 13, a pupil at Musselburgh Grammar School.

Lennon scooped the top spot in a Fun Kids competition after choosing the names of the new river buses – Mercury and Jupiter – that will serve millions of commuters and sightseers in London.

The family travelled by train to the Capital and, as they came from Scotland, organisers put them up for a night in the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel London, Docklands, with its own private docking bay for a ferry to Canary Wharf.

They had the new boat Mercury to themselves to take in the sights along the River Thames such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and the London Eye. Lennon joined the captain at the controls as he got a first-hand experience of how the vessel operates.

During their all-expenses-paid stay the family also went on the Emirates Air Line, a cable car link across the River Thames, and received a £100 voucher for a meal at Zizzi Italian restaurant at the O2 Centre. The finale was a visit to the London Transport Museum before they made their way home the next day.

Emma said: “The whole trip was brilliant. They could not have done more for us. Everyone was so accommodating.”

The new river buses will increase the MBNA Thames Clippers fleet to 17 boats and provide travel to commuters and visitors in London between Putney in