Primary school pupils in Ross-on-Wye have been busily practising their vocal skills and learning songs to take part in the second annual Ross Primary Schools' Choir Festival. The 2008 festival was so successful that it was decided to make it an annual event and to help with the costs of organizing the 2009 festival, grants were awarded by Ross Town Council, The Elmley Foundation and the Ernest Cook Trust.

The festival was the brainchild of two Bridstow Primary School teachers, Fiona Turner and Andy Pullen who wanted to include all choirs from all of the town's primary schools. Finding a local venue big enough to host the festival was difficult, however, St. Mary's allowed the choirs use of the Church and Church Hall for the day and during the afternoon of Thursday, 16th June, the church echoed with the sound of around 180 children singing their hearts out to a very appreciative audience. You can hear the result of their hard work and that of their teachers here.

(My apologies for the peaking audio at times - I was filming first and making the recording was a last minute thought. I just left the digital recorder, which I happened to have in my camera bag, running on my pew at the front whilst photographing from the back of St. Mary's. The sound was much louder than I anticipated. Believe it or believe it not - the recorder needed to be set to a similar level to that I would use when recording a rock band. This I was not expecting!)

Listen to the combined Primary School Choir and the Audience at the end of the afternoon.