A SMILING Sara Cox broadcast to the nation from Bolton this morning and told listeners: "We made it."

She arrived at the Life Bar Cafe in Nelson Square at exactly 6.30am -- half an hour before her Breakfast Show was due to start.

Dressed in a knee length blue jacket and wearing cream coloured combat trousers, blonde-haired Sara jumped out of her private cab, which she shared with two colleagues.

"Get out of my way," the well-groomed star laughed at one of them as they gathered at the Life Bar Cafe door, "I've got to do the show."

At 7am, she was behind the Radio 1 microphone and in an even chirpier mood, telling listeners she had been drinking "cheap plonk" on her six-and-a-half-hour journey to Bolton from London.

She joked: "Here I am shoved in a back room at the Life Bar Cafe with the light flickering making my hangover worse."

Her mother and father were in the audience watching Sara broadcast from a screened-off area. Sara did not stay at home. Instead she spent last night at the Holiday Inn hotel near the Reebok Stadium in Horwich.

Sara is in Bolton for the Radio 1 On The Road event taking place at the Life Bar Cafe throughout the weekend.

Joining her are former Bolton School pupil Mark Radcliffe and his sidekick Lard, Judge Jules, Steve Lamacq and the Sunday Surgery's Emma B and Dr Mark Hamilton. But the main reason for the event is to give people in Bolton access to Radio 1's One Life team.

Thirty children from Sara's old school, Smithills, were invited into the Bolton studio for an informal question and answer session. Student Rachel Pollitt, aged 16, said her friends had a great time. She added: "I'm a huge fan of Sara and I listen to her every day. She's a real inspiration to me mainly because I would love to get into radio."

"We had to get up earlier than normal today to be in the studio for 8am but it still wasn't as early as Sara. I can see why she does it, though. It's great fun."

James McHugh, aged 15, said: "Just being there was enough for me -- and the breakfast was great. I want a career in the music industry and talking to people like Sara is inspiring."

Other highlights of Sara's show included a competition to win an England shirt live in Little Lever -- and a travel bulletin telling listeners St Peter's Way was congested and Bury New Road had heavy traffic.