LEWISHAM'S choir of NHS workers have vowed to keep on singing after missing out in the final of Garth Malone show The Choir: Sing While You Work.

The group, which spanned the full range of Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust's staff, had been tipped to win the series finale last night, with Mr Malone singling them out for high praise.

However, despite a sensational rendition of Stevie Wonder's For Once In My Life to a live audience and comments from judge and soul singer Ruby Turner that the medics had blown her away, top place was awarded to a rival choir from Severn Trent Water.

But speech and language therapy assistant Natalie Beaumont, who proved to be one of the show's stars and sang solo in the final, said there were no regrets.

Speaking the day after transmission, she said: "Everybody's obviously really down that we didn't win and people are saying we should have won - totally unbiased of course. But everyone's really proud.

"To be quite honest, from the beginning to the end of the whole thing I never felt I was in a competition. I just felt it was a surreal and great thing to be involved in."

It was quite an experience for Ms Beaumont who admitted to being nervous in the original auditions, but has now been inundated with fanmail and gets stopped and hugged on the street.

She said: "For me, I've just had such an amazing journey. I've learned so much about myself and it's given me much more confidence in myself."

Ms Beaumont added: "The choir's continuing. There's been lots of interest shown from local events so we're going to just keep singing really and see where it takes us."

To keep track of the choir, follow @Choir_NHS on Twitter