Sara Williams’s musical career goes from strength to strength.

After winning Hillingdon’s Hidden Talent , the singer-songwriter from Ickenham formed a band – Sara and the Vynes – and the four-piece is now into the last 18 of a London-wide busking competition.

“It has been a brilliant experience,” said Sara, 15.

“I’m really excited for the final and I’m really happy that we got this far from 1,000 entrants down to 18.”

BigBusk pits groups, duos and soloists, and under-15-year olds against each other, at specially selected busking sites across the capital.

But instead of singing for their supper, performers gather public votes on printed cards or online.

Added to the judges’ scores, six acts from each category go through to the final on Sunday, September 7.

Sara and the Vynes - named for Vyners School in Warren Road, Ickenham , which all the band mates attend – played a number of venues, including both the Westfield shopping centrers and a pitch outside St Paul’s Cathedral during the competition, run by the Mayor of London’s office.

Video Loading

“We really enjoyed doing them because we got quite a big crowd gathered around us,” said Sara, who lives with her parents, brothers and sister in The Paddock.

Doer she have hopes for the final?

“It’s really just the experience,” she admits. “It has been brilliant so we are not so bothered about how we get on.”

The other members of Sara and the Vynes are Mark Fincham, 17, on bass guitar, Vincent Chapman-Andrews, 15, on guitar, and drummer Jack Reynolds, 16.

Jack, fresh from GCSE success last week where he a got a musical scale of grades – ‘distinction star’ in performing arts, 2Bs, 3Cs, a D and an E – will be heading back to Vyners sixth form next month, come what may. But he is clearly chuffed at his other summer success.

“I feel great about the experience,” he said. “I was really happy when I heard we got into the final.

“I didn’t think we would get the judges’ choice because so many people had entered.”

Check www.getwestlondon.co.uk on Monday, September 8 for the results.