Ed Sheeran's pal Amy Wadge is returning to Faringdon as part of a UK tour.

Amy knew Ed when he was starting out in the music business. He was one of her first artists during Amy's time writing for BDI, an independent music publishing business.

The musicians worked on an EP that Ed entitled Songs I Wrote With Amy and their song Thinking Out Loud reached number one in the UK charts in November 2014 and scooped them a Grammy.

The track came about almost accidently, as Amy was simply having dinner with her pal Ed, she said it was not a song-writing session. Amy was playing with some chords that struck the right note with Ed and so they began work, but not until after dinner, Amy said.

They also wrote the 2016 X Factor winner, Matt Terry's Christmas single, Christmas Comes Around.

Ed is not the only big name Amy has worked with, she has supported Van Morrison, Damien Rice, Eric Bobb and Jeff Beck. Amy has also worked with Swindon's own best kept secret singing phenomenon, Shannon Saunders.

Amy, who is married to actor Alun ap Brinley best known for his part in the TV series The Indian Doctor, was named Best Solo Female Artist at the Welsh Music Awards. She beat Charlotte Church in 2002 and Cerys Matthews in 2003 and last year she won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Awards Song of the Year and Digital Song title.

Amy began songwriting at the age of nine, playing on the family piano, but then was given her first guitar, from a junk shop, when she was 12-years-old. The affinity between instrument and performer was born, and Amy taught herself to play guitar by strumming along to Tracy Chapman's debut album.

Amy is currently on a double header tour of the UK and, when she returns to the Corn Exchange in Faringdon, on February 3, the young singer/songwriter Luke Jackson will also be performing. Luke and Amy will perform separate sets and sing together.

Luke, 22, is heading to America this year to perform at the Folk Alliance 2017 in Kansas. The singer supported rock band Marillion on their European tour in 2015, making new fans in Scotland, Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands. He has recorded four albums, the latest called Tall Tales and Rumours. He runs his own record label called First Take Records and he too has supported names such as Show of Hands and the Oyster Band. He was nominated at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for Best Emerging Act in 2013.

Tickets to see the double header of two generations music making are from 07766 077115. - Flicky Harrison