A BRIDGEWATER High School pupil is hitting all the right notes and is set for the O2 arena in London in a bid to become the latest winner of the prestigious Open Mic UK competition.

Katie Hammond, aged 14, from Stockton Heath, reached the national final after fending off competition in the area finals held in the NEC Arena in Birmingham late last year.

Katie is an active member of Bridgewater School Pure Voices and has been involved in performances at the school and with Appleton School of Dance. She has also performed at a number of local charity events raising money for ‘Brainwave’ and ‘Friends of Rosie’ last year.

The young star had initially impressed judges in Liverpool with a rendition of her own song It’s You, which has also been nominated for the National Final of the Original Song Writing Competition after receiving more than 2,500 views on YouTube and, consequently, will be released on iTunes later this month.

However, Katie hopes to win the approval of an expert judging panel at the O2 Arena with another of her own songs – Chapters.

The eventual winner of the competition is awarded a £5,000 cash prize, as well as the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the likes of award-winning songwriter and producer for One Direction, Mark Hill and representatives from major labels such as Universal Music.

Open Mic UK 2013 is the largest music competition in the UK for singers and solo artists with more than 9,000 entrants this year. The contest searches for the UK’s best singers, singer/songwriters, rappers and vocalists of all genres who are invited to perform either covers or original material.