Youngsters from 13 schools across Cumbria wowed the crowd in a spectacular one-off show.
Over 400 performers, aged three to 18, performed in Shine As One at Carlisle’s Sands Centre.
The pupils all attend Cumbria Education Trust’s schools.
The show was the product of weeks of preparation at the individual schools and an intense 24 hours of final rehearsals making sure everything would be all right on the night.
It’s the first time that all the trust’s 13 schools – from Whitehaven to Brampton and Longtown to Tebay – performed collectively.
The show included new dances, musical medleys and drama performances created by the students themselves, as well as their own interpretation of favourites such as Thriller, Finding Wonderland and Happy.
The schools performed together to open and close the show with The Greatest Show and Shine medleys.
Teaching and support staff from across the trust were part of the project team with performing arts leads Susanna Cooper, Sarah Bolton and Abi Skillen leading the children through their routines.
Nic Tweddle, CET assistant headteacher and student events lead, said: “The children were amazing and grabbed the opportunity on the big stage with both hands.
“Even though we had a really long day of rehearsals before the audience arrived, every single one of the children put their all into their performance. The audience was clapping and cheering from the opening number right through to the show’s end.
“This was a fantastic opportunity for our young people to showcase their talent and a highlight from their schooldays they will never forget.
“The children were obviously the stars but there were so many people without whose help this could not have happened. That includes the Sands Centre staff and our generous sponsors, in particular Bell Group.
“The feedback from the night has just been brilliant and it has given everyone involved a huge buzz.”
Pupils and students’ artwork to support the show was also on display at the centre.
The trust hopes it will become an annual event in its calendar, giving even more young people the chance to perform on the big stage.
The schools taking part were primaries Caldew Lea, Castle Carrock, Hensingham, Longtown, Newtown, Northside, Petteril Bank, Tebay, Yanwath, Yewdale and secondaries William Howard, Workington Academy, The Whitehaven Academy, and the joint West Coast Sixth Form.
