A BLACKPOOL barrister-turned-popstar is releasing a single over the internet to raise money for needy children.

Singer Pesha, alias 60-year-old Pat Bailey, has stepped down as the head of Preston-based New Bailey barristers chambers to concentrate on releasing her song, Contact Day.

The single tells of the heartbreak of arranging contact with children when parents separate or divorce. And the North Shore resident, whose childhood nickname became her stage name, is hoping to reach a global audience.

She said: "We live in a wonderful world where everyone on the planet can be reached through the internet. It is so much easier today for someone to make a difference in the world.

"I thought this was a way I can make a difference. Words came to me, and the music, so I put it all together."

She said she wants the single -- available via www.pesha.tv -- to benefit a well-known international children's charity.

Pesha said the Queen's Christmas speech inspired her career change. "Last Christmas the Queen invited us to make a difference in the lives of others and I am seeking to do that," she said. "Many of the songs I have written are on contemporary issues."

Her first album, Make A Difference, will also be released on the internet. "We are hoping to have it out for Christmas but it's quite a lot of work to get these things together.

"You have got to go over it again and again until you get it right. It is a very exciting project and I have enjoyed doing it."

Pesha surfed the net to learn how to make and sell a record. Through her research she met a local producer, George Karpiperis. "I was fortunate finding George to produce my music. He has just started at the university at Preston on a music and computer course.

"I believe you can record in your kitchen and still make a world winning single."

And Pesha said her colleagues at the barristers' chambers have been supportive -- one of them even designed her website for her.

She added: "My mother also really supports me. She is 86, and she is the best manager!"

Pesha describes her music as a mixture of classical and modern, which she calls 'freestyle'. "I have tried to write on different levels so youngsters will enjoy the songs and adults will find a deeper meaning," she said.

And go-getting Pesha is already at work on her next project -- books to help schoolchildren and speakers of other languages learn English.