Alongside the tribute acts who played at Ripon's summer season of free concerts, an emerging home-grown talent took centre stage.

The first performer at the Yorkshire Day Weekend of musical entertainment, was singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary, who has a growing fan base in the city and further afield.

The 20-year-old acoustic guitarist, who lives in Ripon, hopes for a recording contract one day and his rapidly-rising career has already seen him perform at high profile events including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Tour de Yorkshire.

The former pupil of Grewelthorpe Primary School and Bedale High, started playing music at the age of ten after being bought a second-hand guitar by his mother Karen, who is now his manager, administrator and roadie.

Freddie said:

His first gig came at the age of 15 when he was asked to play at the Crown Inn in Grewelthorpe and then he started busking on the streets of Masham, Harrogate, Ripon and Robin Hood's Bay.

Freddie, who has written his own songs - Mercy, My Everything, Perfect and Talk To Me - has used facilities at the Homefire Recording Co studio in Harrogate, added:

In the meantime, the young artist has another string to his bow, as an actor and member of Ripon Amateur Operatic Society (RAOS) where he started his acting career by successfully auditioning for one of the lead roles in the musical Cats.

He is also in the cast for the RAOS upcoming performances of Jesus Christ Superstar, which run from 7 to 16 October at the society's Allhallowgate headquarters.

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