NEVER mind the Scottish singing star Susan Boyle, what about Swindon’s Talent?

Susan Boyle, of course, is the 47-year-old unemployed charity worker who lives with her cat in a small village in Scotland and who has taken the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent” by storm. The YouTube video of her stunning audition has received more than 35 million hits.

Now following on from the success of last year, Swindon Talent 09 was officially launched at the County Ground yesterday.

The Adver, in conjunction with Swindon 105.5 and Swindon Arts Centre, is looking to discover the town’s top entertainers.

Last year the young dancers who make up the Saturday Club took the competition by storm with a stunning display in the finals at the Swindon Arts Centre, just pipping young singer Sam Millard to victory in a 15-strong final.

We’ve got three heats lined up for this year’s competition at the Purton Carnival on Friday, June 5, at the Old Town Festival on Sunday, June 28 and the Caribbean Carnival on Saturday, July 11.

If you want to enter any of those heats, then you need to complete the entry form and send it to the organiser of the heat you wish to enter. We’re anticipating a lot of interest this year, and so a special open mic heat has been scheduled for Commonweal School on Thursday, July 16 from 4.30pm when you can just turn up and perform a five-minute routine before the panel of judges.

The best acts from each of the four rounds will go forward to the finals night at the Swindon Arts Centre on Saturday, August 8.

Dave King, editor of the Swindon Advertiser, said: “Last year we had a fantastic response, but this year I’m expecting the standard to be even higher.

“A lot of people have already been asking when the heats are taking place for Swindon Talent 09, so you’re going to need to get in quick.

“Last year we had plenty of singers and dancers – we even had a belly dancer.

“It would be great if we could have even more variety on show this time to demonstrate the wealth of talent which Swindon has.”

There is no age limit to performers, but entrants must not earn a living from the entertainment business, and organisers can refuse entry if the performance has health and safety issues.