A FORMER Hereford student whose epilepsy was so severe she was suffering more than 150 seizures a day has overcome hurdles to sing at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Former Hereford Sixth Form and art college student Nicola Vaughan, 24, has been living with epilepsy for the last 10 years and at one point was told she could die at any point.

Her condition made studying at the Hereford colleges very difficult, but had the opportunity to sing in a BBC Proms concert on Monday, July 29, broadcast live on Radio 3.

She said: "Some people don't realise just how disabling epilepsy is. I was told I was 'SUDEP'. I could die at any moment, and no-one would know why.

"Due to the severity of my epilepsy, I missed a lot of education. people thought I was just lazy or daydreaming but in reality a lot of the time I was having seizures.

"Due to the stigma around me I also found myself deeply depressed.

"I remember dropping several subjects at Hereford Sixth Form College no matter how much they pushed me and told me I was able to do this because I was scared at one point that I may endanger another student.

"Hereford College of Arts is where I first realised my love for music, and how much I loved it and the people within it. All from such different backgrounds and petitioning for change."

Despite enjoying her time studying at the college on Folly Lane, her seizures caused her to drop out and later enrolled in Ebbw Vale College, before attending the British Institute of Modern Music (BIMM) where she underwent specialist voice training.

Her mother, Judy Vaughan, from Crickhowell, said against all the odds her daughter has made it and is so proud of her.