PONTYPOOL singing sensation Demi Holborn sang an emotional goodbye to Pontnewynydd Primary School last night while raising funds for school musical equipment.

The GMTV Totstar winner from BelleVue, Trevethin, has already had chart success with a single, appeared on TV and taken part in numerous charity events.

Last May, Demi, then aged nine, won the GMTV talent contest after judges and viewers of the show were bowled over by her performance. The budding star polled a massive 168,000 of the estimated 200,000 votes in the phone-in poll.

Her prize was a recording contract with Universal and the chance to take up a scholarship at the Barbara Speake Stage School.

Yesterday, as a special way of saying thank you, she sang a 40 minute set as the second half of a variety show put on by her school. The show, which was to raise cash for musical equipment, drew a crowd of more than 130.

And they were all enthralled as 11-year-old Demi sang numbers by Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion as well as My Boy, written specially for her last year.

The crowd was also treated to a showing of the video of Demi's version of New Seekers' classic I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, while she got changed.

Demi, who will start at St Alban's School in Pontypool in September, did her parents proud, according to her father Mike, who said: "She always does her best. I'm still amazed she can get up and sing in front of people like she does. It's more than I could ever do."

PICTURED: Demi Holborn performs a duet with schoolmate Chloe Robinson.