PERFORMERS showed off their best skills last week as part of a county-wide talent competition.

The first Wiltshire's Got Talent took place at The Bank in Amesbury last week, which gave amateur performers the opportunity to take to the spotlight in hopes to win £1,000.

From music to burlesque and comedy, more than 100 people from across Wiltshire applied to join the competition, and only 27 made it through to the live events that ran last week.

Ten competitors made it to the final round on Sunday night (November 18), showing off various talents including both group and solo music and dance.

The overall winners of the competition were newly formed band, Home from the Unknown, who wowed the judges with two original numbers.

Nathan Muirhead from The Bank said the whole event was a "huge success", and the girlband won for their original music and performance of two "really catchy songs", adding: "They were all high quality performances, but for a young group of girls to write and play all their own music from scratch is just such a huge talent in itself."

Inspired by TV show Britain's Got Talent, the judges panel that included local musician George Agombar, bassist for Solarbird Nick Gowman, singer Kevin Badcock, and Paul Freeman from Salisbury District Hospital, had golden buzzers so each judge could also fast-track their favourites to the final.

The event on Sunday was so popular it had to be held at Wyndham Hall with more than 200 people coming to watch.

The winners trophy will have Home from the Unknown engraved onto its surface, but there will be space left for future winners as Mr Muirhead promises the competition will return in the future.

He added: "I am personally just hugely impressed with the talent Wiltshire has bought, not just from Amesbury but as far as Swindon - to get the attention of all these acts is just incredible."