Worthing student performs in London for Queen's Platinum Jubilee beacon lighting ceremony

A singer, dancer and actor, the Davison High School student has been training with West End Kids since the age of 11 and recently took part in the troupe's recording of A Life Lived With Grace, the official song for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

This new song is a special tribute to the Queen, commissioned to be sung by groups in all 54 Commonwealth countries at the same time as the lighting of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee beacons around the world on Thursday, June 2.

Martin Williams, West End Kids founder and musical supervisor, said: "The West End Kids are excited to be able to make such a significant contribution to such a momentous occasion and hope that the song will bring happiness to everyone who watches it."

The song was composed by Vincent Atueyi Chinemelu with lyrics by Lucy Kiely.

Alison Cox, founder and chair of trustees for The Commonwealth Resounds, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have the West End Kids provide such a fun and energetic performance to the project, which the Queen's Pageantmaster Bruno Peek entrusted to The Commonwealth Resounds, celebrating Her Majesty the Queen's extraordinary 70-year dedicated reign over the UK and the Commonwealth."

Sydney has a busy summer ahead, performing with West End Kids at the Glastonbury Festival later in June and a host of other exciting events.

Simone Craddock, Sydney's mum, said: "Sydney successfully passed an extensive trial for the West End Kids troupe in January of this year. West End Kids is the UK's best-known song and dance troupe.

"Sydney has been singing and dancing from a young age, training locally and in Chichester, where she attends the nationally-acclaimed youth theatre, performing in their last four Christmas productions.

"Her intense training with West End Kids, which takes place in central London every Saturday, has helped her to gain sixth form places at some of the Uk’s top performing arts schools, including Arts Educational School and Emil Dale Academy."

Sydney has also been involved in many local productions, including Worthing, Shoreham and Littlehampton pantomimes and the touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Tthe Hawth in Crawley, as well as Littlehampton Operatic Society productions of The Music Man and Oklahoma.

Simone added: "She has also worked as a voiceover artist and this September, she will be playing her dream role of Elle Woods in a production of the musical Legally Blonde at the Windmill Theatre."

Also in the news: Shoreham student's dedication to dance pays off with launch into professional career

See also: See the children who started school in Worthing in 2010