WHEN SHE was little, Lilly Jane Young used to run about her grandparents' house, pretending she could fly.

"My nana made me a proper Wendy dress so I could act out Peter Pan, which is my grandad's favourite story," she says. "I never, ever thought I'd get to play Wendy on stage for real, in front of thousands of people .... it's like a dream."

Lilly Jane, now 22, is the only Scot among the stars of Peter Pan: The Never Ending Story, the successful arena show with breathtaking special effects which comes to the Hydro in Glasgow in January.

She is a star all over Europe, thanks to her spell-binding performance as the girl who travels to Neverland to help the Lost Boys and fight Captain Hook, but she is refreshingly down to earth.

"I can't wait to perform the show in Glasgow," says Lilly Jane.

"It's a Scottish story, of course, and it's wonderful to be part of it in such an epic way. I am prouder than I think I ever have been in my whole life.

"The Hydro is selling the best on the UK tour and I think that's absolutely down to my family.

"It's an amazing show - like a blockbuster movie on the stage. Audiences in Glasgow will love it."

The show also stars Stacey Solomon as Tinkerbell and a cast made up of 10 different nationalities.

Music is by Grammy-award-winning composer Matt Dunkley, who has written for the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean and Moulin Rouge, punctuated by some classic pop songs.

First to snap up tickets for the show, which has already toured Europe to great acclaim, was Lilly Jane's proud grandad George Sullivan.

"My grandad is my inspiration," says Lilly Jane. "He always encouraged me to use my imagination and believe in myself, and he was always telling me stories when I was wee. He has such a sense of fun and adventure."

Growing up in Cumbernauld, the oldest of four children, Lilly Jane always wanted to be an actress.

"Every memory I have of my childhood is of me, prancing about in fairy costumes, singing and dancing," she says, with a smile.

"We were not a showbiz family, but I was a bit of a dreamer, and I always wanted to perform."

Lilly Jane joined the Dance School of Scotland in Knightswood in her fourth year of high school, combining musical theatre studies with her ordinary subjects like maths and English.

"I loved it," she says. "I got accepted for the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London and moved down there when I was 17. It was a bit of a culture shock and I was really homesick at first. I remember my mum and grandad driving away and I just cried for days."

She adds: "But I have always been a determined person so I just got on with it. It was a massive challenge for me but I did it and I think that experience helped me cope with all the time away on tour with Peter Pan. It's hard being away from home and I miss my family."

Lilly Jane spent three years at Mountview, one of the UK's top theatre schools. Former students include fellow Scots Sharon Small, Douglas Henshall and Ken Stott, plus Amanda Holden, EastEnders actress Lindsey Coulson and Downton star Brendan Coyle.

"I got the part in Peter Pan because I was in the right place at the right time.

"A month after drama school, I had an audition for a big touring show called Notre Dame de Paris, which was going to Asia. It was a princess role, and I went for audition practice, I didn't really think I'd get it. But I did. And it was the choreographer on that show who told me about Peter Pan and it just happened from there...."

Lilly Jane laughs: "I don't think anyone in my family was too surprised that I got the role of Wendy. It felt right, somehow - especially for my grandad as I've always been Wendy to him...."

Before the UK tour starts in January, Lilly Jane is looking forward to spending Christmas at home with her family.

"It will be lovely. And I can't wait for the Hydro shows. I still have to pinch myself every day, and I don't think I'll ever get used to that feeling of being up there on stage in such an amazing show.

"I don't know what's next for me - how I could possibly top this?"

She adds: "But I have big dreams, and I'm looking forward to living them out."

l Tickets for Peter Pan: The Never Ending Story at the Hydro, from January 10 to 12, 2014, are available at www.ticketsoup.com or by calling 0844 395 4000