A TEENAGER is bidding to reach the finals of a national talent contest.

Olivia Irvin, 14, of Whitworth Park School and Sixth Form, in Spennymoor, is hoping to win the TeenStar competition.

The youngster, from Spennymoor, is set to sing in front of judges and a live audience at the regional final of the contest at the Tyne Theatre, in Newcastle, on March 22.

She will take on teenagers from across the North and Scotland as she bids to reach the national final at the O2 Arena, in London, later this year.

The overall winner of the competition will receive £5,000.

Susan Irvin, her mother, said: “She loves performing and she loves to sing.

“She entered TeenStar for the first time last year and it gave her so much confidence. The entrants can get picked up at the national final as there are talent scouts there.”

Olivia is taking on entrants in the 13 to 15-years-old section.

She attends singing lessons at Studio 10, the home of The Joanne Banks Dancers, in Spennymoor, and also Vocal Ovation, in Stocksfield, Northumberland.

The teenager, who has performed in pantomimes at Darlington Civic Theatre, has not yet decided which song to perform in the regional final.