A MAGICIAN is hoping to conjure up enough votes to win a spot in the final of The Shed of The Year Competition.

Oliver Tabor, 38, of Shopland Road, in Rochford, has used an old outhouse at his parents farm as a magician’s workshop since he was a teenager but now hopes the magical space can win him first place.

He said: “When I first got into magic I kept my stuff at home but when I was about 15 there was too much and it didn’t fit in my room so I moved it into the outhouse, put a bit of carpet down and some curtains up and it became my workshop.

“It’s my creative space, my workshop and rehearsal space, I have a mirror and camera up so I can practice tricks.

“I follow the Shed of the Year competition every year but it never occured to me to enter until my girlfriend said I should.

“I follow the competition every year - it’s always really interesting to see these everyday folk who have these secret passions and how they change these sheds into their workshops or pubs or even clubs.

“So I thought I’d give it a go; I had a bit of a tidy up and decorated it and sent the pictures off and two days later the producers got in touch.”

Mr Tabor, who works as a full-time magician, has now been shortlisted for the Unexpected Category and will appear on a Channel 4 documentary about the competition later this year.

He is due to be filmed in the next few weeks and has “a few tricks up my sleeve” to do so.

He said: “Sorting out my tricks is the next thing I need to do but i have a few plans; I have a floating table, a new trick where a card comes out a notebook and a few bigger illusions.”

In the meantime, he is hoping to get enough votes to get through to the final.

“It’s really surreal that I’ve been shortlisted to be honest; everyone is now saying they can’t believe it and I wasn’t expecting it at all.

“Do you know what? I’m probably actually going to get really competitive nearer the time - now I want to win it!”

Vote for Mr Tabor at readersheds.co.uk/