CHILDREN at St Barnabas primary school, Darwen, will have a permanent reminder of their starring role in the world premiere of a classical piece of music in the magnificent setting of Blackburn Cathedral.

Composer David Mellor presented the choir with an oak-framed photograph of the concert.

And they had a special surprise for him – a lovely rendition of his Peace Anthem at the morning assembly.

Mr Mellor said: “I was very touched. It is a lovely school and I have always been made very welcome there. The children are always chatty and confident. And the choir made a valuable contribution to the success of the whole concert.”

Darwen MP Jake Berry said they were the “stars of the show” at the concert, which marked the deaths of three local lads in a moorland blizzard at the height of the Great War.

Mr Mellor said: “My wife flew in from Australia for the concert and she was in tears when the schoolchildren started singing.

“And she wasn’t alone. Everyone found it very moving.”