EIGHTEEN months ago, French exchange teacher Florence Malavialle dropped into a singers' night at Darlington Folk Club. Last week, it was standing room only when she chose the club to launch her CD.

In 18 months, Flossie - as she is known when singing - has gone from a two-song spot at that first singers' night at Darlington Arts Centre to taking leave of absence from her teaching post near Nmes to return to England and a singing career.

Her CD, Thistledown, reflects the wide of range of styles she had to learn to please dancers of all ages when her spare time was spent singing with a band at village fairs in the South of France.

Recorded at Sid Columbine's Big Sur Studio in the arts centre, it ranges from the wistful My Love is on Boards by Teesside singer-songwriter Richard Grainger to the powerful Je t'appartiens which shows her in Piaf mode.

At the CD launch on Thursday of last week, she sang songs from the CD plus other favourites demanded by an audience which included staff from Grangefield School in Stockton, where she spent her year as an exchange teacher. Support was provided by the club's resident group, Synergy - Tom Hughes, Tony Martin and Dan Hands - and by bass player Paul Hughes and guitarist Doug B Smith.

After her first visit to Darlington Folk Club in March 2001, Flossie was immediately in demand for bookings across the area.

She returned to Nmes for the start of the school year last autumn then, at the end of the summer term this year, took advantage of the French system which allows teachers to take a career break.

Like Piaf, she has "no regrets" about her decision to launch herself on a musical career in England. "I don't want to look back and say 'if'," she said. "If it works, it does. If it doesn't ..." and she gave a very Gallic shrug.

She is at home enough in her second language to tease the audience with "are yer shuwer?" in broad Durham before repeating "are you sure?" as she had learned it in France.

She faces a sterner test tomorrow evening, however, when she appears at a folk night at Staindrop Comprehensive School with Bernard Wrigley and his broadest Bolton.

Local duo Nebula will be on hand to translate, if necessary - G W