ACTOR Sammy Winward traded the small screen for a church hall this weekend to give aspiring performers all the best tips and tricks to become a star.

The former Turton School pupil, best known for playing the role of Katie Sugden in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, hosted an Acting For TV class where she shared her secrets and experience with young people from across the North West.

Throughout the day the youngsters learned a variety of skills from audition technique to speaking to camera and improvisation.

Sammy also passed on tips in scene study and production etiquette and insights into all aspects of acting, including scripts, cameras, lights and everything in between.

There was then a question and answer session to give the youngsters a window into what it is really like to be on a film set and work in the showbiz world of primetime television.

Sammy, from Edgworth, said all the aspiring actors had performed brilliantly and learnt a huge amount.

She added: “The ones who had not had much experience came in quite nervous which I understand from when I was their age. But by the end of the class they had come out of their shell and were acting to the camera and doing really well.”

Breaking into acting at a young age, Sammy has been working on TV screens for the past 20 years.

In addition to starring in Emmerdale between 2001 and 2015, the Bolton actress has more recently appeared in the ITV dramas Prey and Fearless.

She is also set to start on a new film, No Man’s Land, in the coming weeks, in which she will be playing the former partner of an ex-soldier suffering from PTSD.

She said: “I have been running these classes for a while but this is the first time I have had kids from all different schools.

“Acting takes hard work but it can be really rewarding and a lot of fun.

“I just want to pass on the knowledge that I have so that they know what to expect when they go into their careers and have fun in the process.”