A BUDDING musical partnership are hoping to take the nation by storm after auditioning for a television talent show.

Singer Wende Blowfield, 36, from East Challow, along with her guitarist friend Brian Staton, 59, from Wantage, went to London last week for the first round of auditions for the ITV1 show, Britain's Got Talent.

Mrs Blowfield said she decided to enter the show, fronted by Ant and Dec and judged by music supremo Simon Cowell, as a way of showing her three disabled children, Briony, 13, Chelsea, nine, and Harvey, five, that anything can be achieved if you put your mind to it.

She said: "I wanted to do this to set an example for my kids and show them that you can do anything if you work hard and try your best.

"Life is not a rehearsal, you've got to take every chance you can and try and make the most of it. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to try and do this. If we don't make it then fine, but at least we tried."

The pair, who go by the name Rumours, performed their own take on The Zutons' - and more recently Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse - song, Valerie, in front of the show's producers at the Connaught Hotel, in London.

Mr Staton said: "I've never been as confident in my life. I think we really impressed the producers at the auditions and Simon Cowell has said he is looking for a good amateur act with no age limits.

"It's been the best experience of my life and I've got this gut feeling that we are going to make it to the final. People like us is what this programme's all about, it's what dreams are made of."

Mr Staton also said producers had been surprised to learn how long the pair had been performing together.

He said: "When we finished they asked us how long we had played together, I think they were expecting us to say years, but they seemed shocked when we said it had only been 12 months."

Mrs Blowfield said they had to thank her husband Tim, 40, who suggested they enter the competition.

She said: "We were sat watching the show one night and Tim said, 'you guys should go in for that', and went on the Internet and put us forward.

"He's fantastic and backing us 100 per cent."

The pair will have to wait until the new year to find out if they have made it to the next round of auditions, and will be waiting with bated breath for a phone call from the show's producers.

Mrs Blowfield said: "We just have to wait and see now, but it's good to be optimistic and I think we've got a good chance."