TEENAGE soprano Zoe Mace was delighted to be given tickets to see singing star Beyonce as a present for her charity work.

But instead of taking the chance to see one of the world’s best-selling female singers, the 14-year-old, from Freeland, near Witney, decided to auction off the seats to raise money for a charity close to her heart.

Zoe, a pupil at Cokethorpe School, in Ducklington, near Witney, is hoping the three tickets will raise up to £3,000 for the Down’s Syndrome Association – a charity which helped her and her family when her sister Jodie, pictured right, was diagnosed with the condition.

The tickets are for a private box for the singer’s show at London’s O2 Arena on Monday, November 16.

Zoe said: “I thought it was really kind of All Purpose Security to offer me the tickets, but I thought because the charity had done so much not only for my family, but for other families who were in the same situation, I could auction them off.”

Jodie died in 2005 during heart surgery, aged four.

Since her sister’s death, Zoe has raised more than £100,000 for good causes, recording an album, Songs for my Sister, as part of efforts to raise money to help the Down’s Syndrome Association, and performing for free at charity concerts.

She said: “They deserve to get something back. Before we had Jodie in our lives, I didn’t know anything about Down’s syndrome.

“I have never met anyone as fun-loving and enthusiastic about life as Jodie, and raising money for charity and singing is one of the ways I have always dealt with losing her.

“When I perform, I always imagine she’s there with me. It’s a nice feeling, which keeps her memory alive.”

Zoe is currently concentrating on her school work but is hoping to record another album of classical songs for charity next year.

Mum Linda said: “Zoe thinks of others before herself – I think if it had been me, I would have gone to see Beyonce.

“I think it’s a very positive way of dealing with your grief, because you’re helping other families.”

The starting price for the three tickets is £1,000 and bidding is open until October 31. Bids should be emailed to cs-mediamanagement@myspace.com