A GIRL group from Worcestershire has reached the finals of a national talent competition.

The Charities beat thousands of other acts to make the Open Mic UK finals and are now in with a chance of winning sought-after investment and a record contract.

The girls – Michaela Evans, Rachel Hetherington and Gemma Secombe – got together last year and perform in clubs and pubs all over the Midlands.

Michaela, of Marpool in Kidderminster, juggles band duties with full-time study at the University of Worcester.

While the band has won other talent contests, they regard the Open Mic UK as “the big one”.

“We all study and work as well as gigging at weekends so life is pretty busy, but we love what we do and are passionate about writing our own material as well as performing,” said 21-year-old Michaela.

“If we could win the Open Mic UK it might just be the break that we’ve been working and waiting for.

“We thought this competition would be great exposure and with the investment we’d be able to go a long way.

“It is such a hard business to get into and if people don’t know you, they don’t always want to give you a chance.”

The Open Mic UK is a new talent competition in which judges search Britain for up-and-coming singers, rappers and vocalists of all genres. Entrants can perform original material or covers but must have star quality.

The national finals will be held in Manchester on Sunday, December 6. For more information see openmicuk.co.uk or myspace. com/thecharitesmusic to find out where the band is performing.