A MORECAMBE teenager has taken her first step towards the limelight - by winning selection for a national stage company.

Fourteen-year-old Bethany Reed is set to take part in the National Youth Music Theatre's residential workshop in Aberystwyth in August.

She beat more than 3,000 other hopefuls for a place at auditions in Manchester.

The year nine student at Heysham High School and LAMATA dance school, Morecambe, applied for the audition after seeing a notice advertising a talent spot.

"They told me where I was going wrong on my singing and so I thought there was no chance I would get through, but then I got a letter saying that I had and it was really exciting," she says.

"It will be a chance for me to work with professionals and people from London and get some proper training. I hope that it will give me more confidence and help me improve."

Commenting on the course, Bethany - who gave up Tae Kwondo and horse riding to channel her energy into singing and dancing - says: "I do not know what I want to get out of it but I hope it will give me something to focus on.

"It has been a dream of mine since I was about eight and I would like to become famous. Dancing and singing It is what I enjoy and I know that doing this sort of thing will make me very happy."

The youngster is eagerly awaiting news as to whether she has made it to the NYMT's production of Spiderdance and if so the fundraising will start again.

"I will have to raise £1,000 for that, but it will be well-worth it and it will be a great production to be in," says Bethany.

She adds that she especially likes singing ballads, particularly Eva Cassidy, who she names as her ultimate role model.