An 11-year-old's dream came true when he stepped into the shoes of a clown for a day.

Nathan Taylor was the winner of a Telegraph & Argus Be A Clown competition, giving readers a rare chance to appear in a performance at Zippo's Circus at Peel Park, Undercliffe.

Before the show, Nathan was dressed up in traditional clown clothes with full make-up and was shown the ropes by two clowns, Bippo and Little Lou.

The charismatic youngster made his debut by welcoming the audience in the March of the Lights entrance, danced with other clowns and took part in a bullfighting film sketch.

Nathan's proud family, of Radcliffe Avenue, Swain House, Bradford, were cheering him on from the start, including mum Tracy, dad Andrew, twins Ben and Adam, three, and Jamie 13, sister Chelsea, nine, and five friends. It was the whole family's first trip to a circus.

Nathan, a former pupil at Swain House Primary who will start at Hanson School later this year, said: "I was so excited. I was not nervous at all before.

"The best part was the March of the Lights. I would really like to the join the circus now."

Mrs Dickinson entered Nathan for the contest as a surprise, but was shocked when she found out he had won.

"I put him in the competition because he is so outgoing and he will do anything to make people laugh he's been like that since he was a toddler.

"He was balancing glasses on his head when we went to Greece. It's his personality down to a tee.

"He was running up and down when I told him he had won a competition.

"He thought it was amazing this is a once in a lifetime experience and one he will remember forever."

The show was Zippo's fifth in Bradford and features a mixture of modern and traditional acts including clown Renaldo, a native of Brooklyn, New York, the Golden Horses and tiny Falabella miniature horses, "wild man" Zula who performs a new "cloud-swing" act, jugglers the Messoudi family from Morocco and a Bulgarian trapeze artist.

Ringmaster Norman Barrett said: "This is a class show which is traditional. There are lots of modern shows. People feel at home and enjoy a traditional form of entertainment.

"We give youngsters the opportunity to come here and take part and hopefully make their day."

The circus will run until tomorrow. Tickets can be bought by calling 08712 102100.

e-mail: nishika.patel @bradford.newsquest.co.uk