JUNIOR singers from Bury and Whitefield united with six other schools for a gala concert performance.

Pupils from St Luke's CE and Whitefield Community Primary joined fellow youngsters across the city region for the second outing for Manchester Sings.

Choristers and musicians from Withington Girls School hosted the gathering, at Manchester Cathedral, along the theme of 'community'.

An inaugural concert was held in 2019 but a repeat show was postponed last year because of the pandemic.

Some smaller events took place in the meantime, to continue the association. But this was the first return for a massed choir.

One St Luke's pupil wrote as part of a poem entry: "“Children and adults get together, All different races stick together, We learn, we play, we get it wrong, We get it right, we are strong."

Another St Luke's entry, We Are Community, read: "Let’s tackle issues in equality, poverty, climate change and more, Let’s speak up loud and stop outbreaks of war…….We are community, we are the future”.

Gilly Sargent, Withington's musical director and event organiser said the songs and readings had all been chosen “to tell a story that relates to the issues of today’s society and the importance of community, in particular how communities have come together and supported each other during the pandemic and still continue to do so.

"We all recognise that children have been affected by recent challenges in so many ways and Manchester Sings has been a welcome opportunity for celebration and joy."

A collection at the cathedral raised funds for the Booth Centre and the Wood Street Mission in Manchester.

Other schools involved in event, sponsored by the jewellers Beaverbrooks, included St Kentigern’s RC Primary in Blackpool, Wilbraham Primary in Fallowfield, New Islington Free School in Ancoats, Oldham's Broadfield Primary (Oldham), St Margaret’s CE Primary in Whalley Range.

Each of the school choirs participating were given different colourful t-shirts, to create a rainbow effect for the audience.