A SINGING teacher who toured with boy band Westlife will share her skills with youngsters in Bolton.

Lauren Waterworth, the former protege of record label boss Pete Waterman, is a tutor at new performing arts centre Little Voices.

The classes launched at Bolton School’s Brookside Scout Hut on Monday after Ian Helm, principal of Little Voices Manchester North, chose the town as the first place to open a centre.

Miss Waterworth, aged 25, who joined Westlife on their 2002 World of Our Own Tour, said: “I was signed at 11 to Sony Records. I did 10 years with them with my producer being Pete Waterman and he managed me at that time.

“He is a brilliant character. He is so successful in all he has done. I toured around the world, made albums and sang all around Europe.

“That took me into my 20s. At the age of 18, I got into the education side of it and started my own business teaching.”

Miss Waterworth is the performing arts academy’s singing tutor while other dedicated teachers look after the drama side.

Miss Waterworth said: “Growing up, there wasn’t anything out there like this.

“It was about starting from the bottom and working hard.”

Her parents would juggle family life, with her younger brothers, taking her to a vocal coach in Stockport from her home town of Wigan.

Miss Waterworth started singing at the age of four and began taking it more seriously when she was eight, going on to land a deal with Disney when she was 22, as the powerful voice of Looking for a Hero — the title track on children’s programme Friends and Heroes.

She said: “That was the last big thing I did. I’m still very much in the industry, I’m still in the studio, writing and recording.

“I think the highlight of my career has yet to come really, but touring with Westlife was brilliant.

“I toured with quite a lot of pop stars, having my album, doing the tour for the album, that went to 12 in the classical chart.”

Little Voices is a national company which launched in Blackburn seven years ago for four to 18-year-olds to learn singing and drama in small classes of six to eight.

Miss Waterworth said: “This is just a fantastic project. It’s something that I wanted to really help develop. I’m really glad I’m part of it. I think it’s important that I can bring experience to the children as well and showing them that you can do this.

“It’s important that when they’re with me, they’re learning how to sing properly.

“The biggest thing for me is to instil confidence in these young people.”

Her classes take place on a Monday evening and youngsters learn songs from musicals including Matilda, Hairspray, Oliver and Les Miserables.

Father-of-three Mr Helm, a professional singer from Blackburn, will also open centres in Bury, Wigan and Rochdale.

He said: “Little Voices Bolton launched on Monday following a packed workshop on Sunday.

“Children came from all over Bolton and beyond for an afternoon of musical theatre and gave a performance of Consider Yourself from the musical Oliver to delighted parents.

“We have a theatre week planned for the half-term holidays.”