WHEN a 12-year-old Anna Harrison sang at her village fair, her performance moved guest judge, BBC news reader Colin Briggs, to tears.

Anna Harrison Belting out her rendition of Leona Lewis’s take on Snow Patrol hit Run at Allendale Fair, the rising starlet received an overwhelming response as the crowd rose to their feet in applause.

Blowing away the rest of the competition in the 11-15 years category, the eye-catching performance kick-started a move into the music industry.

Having worked tirelessly in the studios at The Cluny in Newcastle to perfect her sound ever since, Anna, now aged 15, gained national exposure this month when she broke into the iTunes top 40 with her charity single Moments.

She wrote the song for, and dedicated it to, popular Wark farmer Stuart Ridley who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in February.

It entered the history books for receiving the most downloads in such a short space of time as supporters of Stuart bought it in their thousands, with all proceeds going to the Stay Strong Stu campaign.

And the success of the single, which saw her chart higher than Taylor Swift and Mumford and Sons, has brought Anna’s superb singing voice to a lot of people’s attention.

Moments has far exceeded all expectations and it has shown people across the whole country what many people in the Allen Valleys already knew – there is a star getting ready to come out of Tynedale in the next few years.

Anna said: “I was about four when I first started singing at the Allendale May Fair. I won a badge, but I just loved being on the stage.

“I watched the fair every year growing up, and when I was 12, I performed and won.

“I got a standing ovation and the buzz afterwards was amazing; I never thought I would ever bring a grown man to tears!

“That performance was definitely a pivotal point for me because it made me think that this is what I want to do.”