Leah Collins and Francesca Fiorentini, better known as The Ukelles, are among the first batch of entrants to Cheltenham's Top Talent competition to be held in Beechwood shopping centre.

"We really love our ukuleles and we thought it would be a good chance to show the world what we can do with the instrument," said Leah, 16.

"Not a lot of people play it these days, but it cheers people up and puts a smile on their faces."

The Bournside School AS-level students have been playing together for two years after bonding over the instruments in music lessons aged 14.

Recent gigs at The Wheatsheaf and Exmouth Arms have proven a success and they want to test themselves against the town's other top acts.

Judges of the showbiz showcase will be treated to some classic ukelele hits and contemporary pop picks.

Their repertoire includes hits by artists from the '30s and '40s, as well as those by stars like Lily Allen and Beyonce.

"We are very different to everything else and I don't think there will be many ukulele groups taking part," said Francesca, 16, of Barwick Road. "I'm not sure how I ended up taking up the ukelele, but when I heard it the sound just jumped out at me, and that was it."

The girls have been hard at work perfecting their songs at Leah's dad's house in Montpellier ahead of the auditions in November.

Cheltenham YMCA, National Star College and the St Vincent's and St George's Association hope to gain thousands of pounds from what will be one of the town's biggest ever talent contests.

Entry to Cheltenham's Top Talent is available to people from the Echo's circulation area aged under 20.

Applications should be sent to the Echo by noon on November 11, with auditions taking place at Beechwood on November 26 and 27. The final will be on December 18.

Companies interested in sponsoring the event should call the mayor's office on 01242 264108 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .