SIBLINGS Sophie Haynes and Rob Richings are celebrating a double whammy of musical success.

Sophie, who runs singing school Everybody Sing from Belmont Crescent, is on cloud nine after Maureen Nolan, of the Nolan Sisters, became patron just five months after it opened.

Sophie, 25, has always been a fan of the Nolan Sisters singer and was overwhelmed when she agreed to work with the school.

“It’s so surreal,” she said.

“I still get a bit overwhelmed when I think about it, I really thought nothing would come of it. She is just so amazing and so well known I really didn’t think she would want to bother with my little school in Swindon.

“I think she’s also going to be fantastic for Everybody Sing. She is such an inspirational person and I think she’ll really help the students reach their full potential and see what they could do.”

Sophie started looking for a patron after the school, which has an adult choir, junior choir and offers private lessons, began to grow from strength to strength.

“It was in July that I started thinking about getting a patron,” she said. “We’d almost doubled our numbers and I just wanted to find someone who could be a role model, especially to those in the junior choir.

“I was looking for someone with some longevity in the industry rather than a pop star of the moment, and looking for someone that not just the children but the parents would know and who was accessible.

“Maureen’s done so much too, she’s done pantomime and musical theatre and she’s playing Mrs Johnstone at the moment in Blood Brothers.

“I saw her in Blood Brothers about five or six years ago and I’ve always really admired her. So we emailed her but I really wasn’t expecting anything to come of it.”

But some weeks later Sophie received a personal message from the ‘In The Mood For Dancing’ singer.

Accepting the role, Maureen told Sophie: “I would be delighted to be a patron of Everybody Sing, it would be a pleasure to be part of it.”

Sophie will meet her new patron for the first time when she visits her in Blackpool next week.

And Sophie is not the only member of the Richings family to be celebrating success, after her older brother Rob was offered two different record deals.

Although unable yet to specify the details it is big news for the 34-year-old, who was diagnosed with the rare condition Ulcerative Colitis six years ago.

The illness is similar to Crohn’s disease and causes inflammation of the bowels, which caused Rob to have severe stomach pains.

It was so bad it caused a cancerous tumour which was only detected when Rob went in for surgery.

“After my illness I just realised it was something I really wanted to do and I wanted to really make a go of it. It just helped me realise what was important.”

For more about Rob’s music visit www.robrichingsmusic.co.uk. For more about Everybody Sing visit www.everybodysing.co.uk.