HUNDREDS of hopefuls descended on a shopping centre to see if they had what it takes to appear on a talent show.

Those with a dream of stardom sang, danced or

performed in the central mall of Churchill Square in Brighton on Sunday.

The entrants ranged from 80-strong singing outfit The Urban Vocal Group

to eight-year-old Amber

Morris-Blake, who turned up to perform a street dance

routine for the judges.

Amber’s mother, Lucy Blake, 41, said: “She has wanted to compete for the last two years and was talking about it doing it.

“I think she did really well, especially since she was the first one in there.”

Amber performs in a competition crew called Killabeez, which runs as part of the Streetfunk group sessions at Brighton Marina.

Amber, who attends Elm Grove Primary School in Brighton, and lives nearby, said: “I felt nervous beforehand but it was good. I think it went OK and hopefully the judges like it. I felt relieved afterwards.”

Ms Blake added: “Amber has does street dance since she was four.

“She’s a confident performer and has a bit of attitude in her dancing. But she’s also very grown-up and focused on the Streetfunk dancing.

“The staff at the audition were very nice about her dance and gave some good feedback. But it’s not up to them - it’s up to the producers and panel as to who gets through to the next stage, and Amber knows that.”

Amber is preparing for the Street Dance World Championships held in Glasgow later this month.

Elsewhere, the Urban Vocal Group, a registered charity, made the pilgrimage from Portsmouth to attend. The organisation makes music to help improve the lives of young people in disadvantaged areas.

Churchill Square director Mark Buchanan-Smith said the Britain’s Got Talent auditions were a success.

He said: “We had a fantastic turnout at the centre with hundreds of people auditioning for the programme.

“At one point throughout the day, we had an 80-person strong choir named The Urban Vocal Group, who took a completely unique approach to their audition with a flashmob-style performance.

“The talented singers were placed all around the centre, acting as shoppers, and gradually joined in to make a truly brilliant audition.

“It was an absolute privilege to be able to host the Britain’s Got Talent auditions and we would like to wish all the contestants luck with the competition.”

Churchill Square has been a hive of entertainment over the past few weeks. In April, auditions for The X Factor saw hundreds of singers warm up their vocals for a shot at the big time.