Twelve competitors, four judges, one winner.

The grand final of Pembrokeshire Idol 2004, took place on Friday, and with all the contestants vocally tuned and groomed to perfection, the pressure was on the four judges to decide who to crown as the county's first-ever Idol.

The daunting, and unenviable task of picking the winner, fell on the shoulders of professional singer, Eve Sherrett, local musician John Rodge, Texaco manager Phil Thompson, and the Western Telegraph's very own Kevin Hire.

After being one of the judges in the first heat, I was relieved that it was Kevin, and not myself that could be responsible for making one girl's dream of pop stardom a reality. I was thankfully left with the less stressful task of taking the photos for the evening. And what an impossible job it must have been, with all the girls belting out flawless performances.

But there could, however, only be one winner, and as the judges left the auditorium to make their decision, the tension and anticipation was tangible.

After what seemed to be an agonising wait, the judges returned with their decision. Third place was awarded to 19-year-old Katie Morgan, second place to 16-year-old Laura Lee, and first place, to Haverfordwest hairdresser, Katie Flood, crowning her the first-ever Pembrokeshire Idol.

Her performance of There You'll Be, by Faith Hill, grabbed the judges' attention, with her stunning vocal range and pitch-perfect notes.

With £300 prize money, a one-year management deal, recording package, plus a professional photo shoot, let's hope we will be seeing a lot more of Katie - our very own home-grown pop star!