Sensation Hayley Westenra was the special guest at an end- of-term school service at Ely Cathedral.

The chart-topping songbird hails from New Zealand but popped up to Ely from her London home to help present prizes at the King's Junior School prizegiving event.

The 19-year-old records on the same record label as The Choirboys - Ely's pintsize version of the Three Tenors - who reached the charts with their smash hit album last year.

Ely Cathedral choristers Patrick Aspbury and CJ Porter-Thaw were reunited with the third member of The Choirboys, Ben Inman, a chorister at Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire, to sing during the service.

Tony Duncan, head of King's Junior School, said: "We were delighted Hayley accepted the invitation and her presence made our service of thanksgiving, at the end of a very eventful year, even more special than usual."

Ely Cathedral is also breaking with 1,000 years of tradition to create its own girls' choir from September this year, a development Hayley found exciting.

The girl choristers, aged 13-18, will all be pupils in King's Senior School.

CJ's father, Neil Porter- Thaw, who is the director of music at the school, said: "Hayley was discovered busking in Christchurch, her home town in New Zealand, when she was a similar age to Patrick, CJ and Ben, so she was able to pass on her advice to all our talented children."