AN electrifying final of the S Factor on Friday night saw the audience erupt with applause as Katie Smith was announced as the winner of this year's competition to find Stroud's top talent.

Katie, 15, a pupil at Stroud High School wowed the judges and the crowd with her rendition of Valerie, despite suffering from a cold in the run up to the night.

The classically trained singer who lives with her family in King's Stanley started singing around five years ago and has even writtten her own gospel song for her school's carol concert which took place on Monday.

"I am always singing at home," said Katie. "I think I drive the family mad sometimes - even though they are very supportive they sometimes say ' very nice Katie, can we have a little break now please.' "

Katie was presented with the S Factor trophy and £100 and now says she is on the lookout for a backing band and would like to enter the TV programme X Factor.

"I love singing and its all I want to do. I am definitely looking to make a career out of it, " she said.

The standard of performance for all contestants had been improved greatly since the auditions in November and judges had a hard task to select four runners up.

Marks were very close but the final selection included Anne Martin who sang On My Own from the musical Fame, Gabrielle Boulton who sang the Duffy hit Mercy, Sam Jones, a musician strummed along on the electric guitar to All Summer Long and Starbuck Friend, also a guitarist sang Walking in Memphis.

Family and friends turned out in force to fill the Market Tavern for the competitio, now set to become an annual event, which was organised by the Stroud News & Journal and Riffs in Threadneedle Street.