A GROUP of young singers got a taste of the showbiz spotlight when they performed to a sell-out crowd at London's premier arena.

Members of the school choir at the Bishop Winnington-Ingram School, in Southcote Rise, Ruislip, sang with 8000 other children from across the south at the Young Voices concert, held at the 23,000 seater o2 arena in Greenwich, East London.

The children had practised all term for the spectacular event, and they spent the day at the arena rehearsing before performing a medley of pop hits, including Katy Perry's 'Hot and Cold' and Lady Gaga's 'Just Dance' in front of a capacity crowd made up of proud parents and teaching staff, performing alongside artists VV Brown and All Angels, and professional dance troupe Urban Strides.

A Youtube video of the performance has already had over 3000 hits.

Two of the pupils who took part, Tara Rendell and Alannah Coleman, said that they were in awe of the whole occasion.

They said: "We were nervous but it was sensational. I think it was brilliant because we all participated.

Mrs Westbrook, headteacher at BWI, said: "I am very proud that our school could be part of this momentous occasion, the atmosphere inside the arena was breathtaking."

Young Voices is an initiative designed to introduce children to music in a fun, informal setting, and participating schools nationwide have been performing in their thousands at the country's biggest venues for over a decade.