A SINGER who grew up in Preston, came back to her roots to perform at the Guild Hall with Sixties pop star Lulu.

Now Edwina Hayes, 31, is supporting the famous pianist, Jools Holland, on his UK tour and could be on the edge of her big break.

Edwina, a former student of Cardinal Newman College, is hoping to make a career out of her music when her debut album is released at the beginning of next year.

In April she was given a recording deal by Warner Brothers after a successful year writing songs for a subsidiary of the company, Warner Chapel.

"If it works out then great, but if I don't make it big, I will just keeping on doing what I have always done.

"I am just as happy playing to ten people as I am playing to a bigger crowd," said Edwina, a former pupil of All Hallows High School.

Edwina left the area more than a decade ago and now lives in Driffield, East Yorkshire, with her mother and sister.

She appeared at the Guild Hall for the first time on Thursday to support Lulu who was in Preston as part of her Back on Track UK tour.

"Performing at the Guild Hall last week was something special," said Edwina. "I remember going to see Nik Kershaw there when I was 13, but it was great to actually be playing there. It was amazing, I loved it."

Since leaving the area at the age of 19 in 1992 to travel in Australia, for a year, Edwina has spent her time between her mother's home in East Yorkshire, and London and Nashville, doing temporary clerical and bar jobs, and writing songs and playing in folk clubs.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, she moved with her family to Daisy Meadow, Bamber Bridge, when she was one-and-a-half years old.

Tony Evans, who was head of music at All Hallows in 1988 when Edwina was 16, said: "It's fantastic news, I think her music is a bit similar to Eva Cassidy, we sporadically kept in touch.

"We will have to get her to come and give a concert at the school."