A Darlington musician will be on stage at the Edinburgh Festival this weekend.

Singer and songwriter Sam Upshall won a national competition organised by his employers, Orange, one of the festival sponsors, to discover hidden talent among its staff.

The musician has worked at Orange's Darlington site for more than three years and has been performing since he was 16 at venues across the region.

He learnt to play the guitar when he was seven and has been writing music ever since.

"This will be the biggest place I have ever played," said Sam. "I am planning to play all original material that I have written myself."

Sam will play a half-hour slot of original music on Sunday at the Meadow Stage in Edinburgh.

Maureen Dixon, regional public relations manager for Orange, said: "We have strong links with the Edinburgh Festival and I have no doubt that the audience will enjoy Sam's original song writing and excellent music."