THE winner of a talent contest has dedicated her achievement to her mother, who died halfway through the competition.

Sara Thrustle, 29, was crowned Fox Factor champion at the Fox And Coney Inn in South Cave.

Gave it her all: Fox Factor winner Sara Thrustle was inspired by her late mother, Angie, inset. Pictures: Kevin Greene

Sara came close to dropping out of the contest when her mother, Angie, passed away suddenly at the end of March after suffering a leaking heart valve.

Knowing how much her mum would have wanted her to continue, she kept singing in Angie's memory.

Collecting £2,000 prize money, she paid tribute to her mum, who was the driving force of her singing career in the early years.

She said: "My mum was my biggest fan. She was always encouraging me to sing.

"I really didn't know if I'd be able to continue when she died, but I am so grateful to have won."

Sara, of west Hull was one of 13 finalists from almost 100 hopefuls since the start of the competition in February.

For the final she wowed the judges and a 500-strong audience with her rendition of Summer Time by Billy Stewart and Alone by Heart.

Sara started singing as a child, encouraged by Angie, who was herself a natural performer, but was prevented from hitting the stage by arthritis which confined her to a wheelchair.

Sara said: "My mum would have gone barmy if she had heard I was thinking of dropping out of a competition like this."

Sara, a mother-of-two now works as a singer at the Star And Garter in Hull city centre.

As part of her prize she will receive studio recording time which she hopes, will help boost her music career.

The brains behind the competition and Fox Factor judge, Vince Garcia, a former music producer who now runs the Fox And Coney, said: "Sara has shown incredible bravery since her mother died."