GIRL power is going strong for four lucky Blackpool songbirds as they shoot for the stars with a top pop video for their debut single.

And the girls have enjoyed a little helping hand from some rather heavyweight friends.

Starting out as last year's mini Spice Girls in the Ultimate Children's Tribute Show at Central Pier, the newly-named Best Frenz have shed the images of Baby and Posh etc to become the subjects of the BBC1 children's TV programme SMart on the Road and promote their very own record entitled Best Frenz Forever.

Katie Dean and Jessica Bell, both 11, Roxanna McNally, ten, and Georjia Kelly, eight, are all members of the Scream Theatre School and Casting Agency, Blackpool, and under the guidance of principal Tracy Bell the talented quartet beat hundreds of hopefuls to the season-long Spice contract last summer.

Tracy told the Citizen: "The girls appeared on This Morning with Richard and Judy last year following their successful stint on the Pier plus an appearance on Barrymore and Nickleodeon.

"Richard happened to comment the girls were all best friends and the idea was born. Now they have been picked up by an agent and signed to a publishing contract by Sanctuary in London and are hoping to release their first single soon with an album to follow."

Best Frenz are to appear in the Live & Kicking Roadshow at the Pleasure Beach in July and are also scheduled for another Nickleodeon performance in the near future.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.