BOWNESS Bay Blues has confirmed a last-minute addition to its line-up in sultry-voiced, jazz-influenced singer Zoe Schwarz.

The singer, of Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion, was runner-up in the female vocalist category of the British Blues Awards.

The lineup also includes some award-winning acts. Sunday headliners David Migden and the Twisted Roots represented the UK at the 2014 European Blues Challenge in Riga. And Laurence Jones, the Saturday headliner, won 'Young Artist of the Year' in the British Blues Awards. He has followed that up by being selected to represent the UK in Brussels in the European Blues Challenge in March 2015, only a couple of weeks before his appearance at Bowness Bay Blues.

The prizes are by no means confined to the headliners. Brilliant blues singer and guitarist Matt Woosey has just been named 'Acoustic Artist of the Year' by international magazine 'Blues and Soul'.

Examples of others to look out for include Rosco Levee & the Southern Slide, tipped by 'Classic Rock' Magazine as 'one of the hottest bands to watch'; young alt blues band Stark who have made recent highly acclaimed appearances at London's legendary 100 Club; top blues rock guitarist Robin Bibi, who has played with big names including Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and one-man blues dynamo TJ and the Suitcase, now making a name in the US as well as the UK.

Organised by the Rotary Club of Windermere, the 2014 festival raised over £6,000 for Automated External Defibrillators for the Windermere First Responders Team as well as other charities.

The main beneficiaries from the 2015 event, which takes place from March 27-29, will be The Alzheimer's Society and The Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Sandra Walling, who programmes the festival on behalf of the Rotary Club of Windermere, said: "We're pleased that Bowness Bay Blues has built up a name for good-quality acts - and more people are coming every year. I don't want to single out any particular bands but we do have several award-winning acts in the line-up this year."

Full details at http://www.bownessbayblues.co.uk/.