To kick 2008 off, she was whisked off to Japan for work through her job with IKEA. After a brilliant time there, the Nottingham resident found out she would be working on the new IKEA store in Dublin. Then she went to see her favourite band, Elbow, at rock city in Nottingham and ended up on stage with them singing and dancing at the end. Then, she got an invite to the aftershow party.

Just a few weeks ago, she landed tickets for Glastonbury. But the icing on the cake came a fortnight ago when she received a phone call saying she had won a nationwide competition.

The 28-year-old, who left home eight years ago for university but has kept her Limavady accent, was voted a winner from hundreds of hopefuls trying their luck at becoming the next voice of 'Cashier Number Three Please'.

However, she had to keep the news about Queue Idol to herself for a few days.

She said: "I was skipping around the house for the weekend. It's funny. I can't quite contemplate winning something so big."

The 'Cashier Number Three Please' system is installed with more than 6,000 customers, including the likes of Lloyds TSB, The Post Office, Argos and Boots.

That means that thousands of people will hear Ema's distinctive Roe Valley voice, several million times a month.

The former Limavady High School student said she entered the competition after her friend, Dean Whiteside called her about it.

Half entering for the craic, she also knew what was at stake, and practiced the four-word phrase a few times before her final entry.

She said: "It was a tangled web, but I'm still quite giddy about it. The phone has been ringing left, right and centre. It's great to be famous for a while."

Ema said her parents, Margaret and John are "very proud" of her.

She said: "Daddy is over the moon, while my mum is more quietly proud."

The Limavady lass said her boyfriend Phil is also delighted.

She said:"We were out at the pub and he was standing there thinking how proud he was of me and then he could hear me roaring and shouting in the next room! But yes, he is very proud."

She added: "I've always been proud of my Irish roots, so I jumped at the chance of having my voice echo around the banks and shops back home for all my family to hear. I'm delighted to have won and now look forward to meeting the other winners when we go to the recording studio – which will be an experience in itself."

Soothing accent

A recording studio now awaits Ema and the other winners to get the chance to perfect their most soothing accent before their voices are installed in the renowned electronic call forward systems. The winners will also be able to meet and pick up some valuable tips from the original voice of 'Cashier Number Three Please,' Terry Green, Q-Matic Global Marketing Director.

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