A singing teacher to the stars is switching his talents from training voices to toning athletes.

Lachlan Beveridge has been a voice coach for Lulu and members of boy band Take That.

But seven years ago Lachlan, 45, decided to ditch his musical career in London to become an osteopath in Burgess Hill.

And this year he hopes to get even more hands-on in his career.

He aims to move to Lindfield, near Haywards Heath, and follow his latest dream - to open a practice to treat sports injuries.

Lachlan, who currently works from his home in Dalewood Gardens, said he does not regret swapping music for medicine.

He said: "It was completely out of character - I'm not normally that brave. But it was one of the best things I ever did."

He does not miss the glitz of his former job, which included coaching Lulu for ten years and meeting Gary Barlow and Mark Owen.

He taught the Take That singers just before the band split.

He said: "Gary Barlow is a very nice fellow. And Mark Owen is the nicest man you could ever hope to meet. He's an absolute treasure and just like he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother."

Lachlan is still in touch with Lulu. He describes the singer as a "great friend" and the pair phone each other regularly and share common interests, such as yoga.

On his teaching technique, he said: "I didn't teach people how to sing songs - I wasn't looking to change their voices.

"I wanted them to understand how the voice worked without forcing it and how they could get the best out of their voice even if they were feeling tired or ill. It's a physical reaction to a thought.

"People underestimate the power of the mind and it's a mistake.

"Voices can be damaged very easily. In many ways singing is like going to the gym - it is a muscular activity."

Lachlan decided to retrain as an osteopath because he had always wanted a career in medicine.

As a child he was musically gifted - he could play the piano by ear at the age of three. His parents and teachers encouraged him to take up a musical career and he became a private music teacher in Burgess Hill as well as a conductor at the Burgess Hill Operatics Society.

He moved to London, where his client base grew to include some record companies.

He met Lulu through a former colleague in London who taught many stars, including Dame Shirley Bassey, Alison Moyet and Paul Young.

But he had always wanted a career in medicine and in 1996 he decided it was time to fulfil his dreams.

He studied for five years, first doing a one-year access course and later a four-year science degree in osteopathy at the European School of Osteopathy in Maidstone, Kent.

Lachlan hopes opening a practice for sports therapy will let him take his skills to another level.

He and a couple of friends in the medical industry, who have contacts with some of Britain's top sportsmen and women, plan to join forces and open a rehabilitation centre in the countryside.

He said: "I wanted to go into osteopathy because it's a very hands-on profession. It's not just throwing pills at people. It's about understanding the body and mind.

"It's been a huge learning curve but I don't regret changing jobs for a minute."

Lachlan hopes to leave Burgess Hill to open the centre in Lindfield in the next six months.