A SCHOOLGIRL of 11 won a borough-wide contest for singers, dancers and musicians in front of a packed auditorium at Harrow Arts Centre.
Vocalist Shelina Devendrarajah, of Mount Drive in North Harrow, scooped the crown - and a professional CD recording session - after belting out a cover of Whitney Houston's One Moment In Time at the final of Harrow's Hidden Talent.
Open auditions had been held during September and October at Flash Musicals Youth Theatre, in Methuen Road, Edgware; Harrow Borough FC's home ground, in Earlsmead, South Harrow; The Beacon Centre, in Scott Crescent, South Harrow; and Harrow Arts Centre, in Uxbridge Road, Hatch End.
Co-organiser Franklin Miles, founder of Talent Taurus, a talent-spotting steering group within Harrow Association of Voluntary Services in Pinner Road, Harrow, said: "It was open to any group and we had more than 300 entries.
"We had street dancers, vocal singers, breakdancers, classical singers, poets, pianists and dance groups.
"We got through the audition stage and the semi-final stage and the grand final."
The four judges who had whittled the entrants down to the final 14 were former X Factor contestant and Stanmore resident Rachel Hylton, Terry Revill, who runs Flash Musicals Youth Theatre, local rapper Strikey, and music producer Steve Glen.
A full house watched the finalists show off their skills on Friday, November 20, at Harrow Arts Centre, where the Mayor of Harrow, Councillor Asad Omar, handed out the prizes.
Mr Miles said: "They were better than this year's The X Factor. I was impressed because I didn't know Harrow had so much hidden talent."
The judges handed the first prize to Shelina, who attends Orley Farm School in South Hill Avenue, Harrow, and has passed her Grade 5 singing examination.
Shelina's father, Victor Devendrarajah, said: "It was really surprising that such a young girl could give a high-class performance. We were extremely proud."
