Magician Jayne Corrigan has become the first ever woman to be declared the Bristol Close Up Magician of the Year.

Jayne is Magician of the Year

Magician Jayne Corrigan has become the first ever woman to be declared the Bristol Close Up Magician of the Year.

The competition was founded in 1977 and every year since, a man has won the title. But 39-year-old Jayne, of Weston Village, Weston-super-Mare beat nine male rivals to scoop this year's title.

Jayne, a mum-of-two to six-year-old twins Max and Evie, has been practising magic since the age of three using coins, cards and borrowed audience items.

She said:

"I think it is a great achievement to be a first in something, especially as this was the first time I had entered.

It is definitely a male-dominated industry – in fact woman have only been allowed to join the Magic Circle since 1991. Even so, there are less than 70 women in the circle out of 1,500 worldwide members and usually most of these are magicians' assistants.

No one in my family has ever done magic, so I don't know where it has come from really. I started when I was three, with a Paul Daniels kit I was given for Christmas. Whereas most people would have not been interested I took it seriously and started doing shows for friends and family.

Every year from then onwards I was allowed to go to Hamleys toy store and pick a new trick and it has built up from there really."

Jayne's award completed a double for her family – partner Derrick Leppier won this year's Bristol Children's Entertainer of the Year contest.

She said: "We have lots of fun in our house, we are always doing tricks, plate spinning or balloon modelling."

Jayne's career has taken her all over the country and even as far as Dubai but she prefers to stage shows locally.

This article is a copy of the original that can be found at thisisbristol.co.uk