HUNDREDS of youngsters were kept on their toes when they took part in one of the country's top music, dance and speech festivals.

Prizes, including the prestigious Horace Tattersall Memorial to the most promising musician, were awarded for outstanding artistic per- formances at Blackburn Festival of Speech, Music and Dance.

The festival, first held in 1946, took place over two days at the Hornby Lecture Theatre, Blackburn Library.

Hundreds of performers descended on the town to be given their chance to shine in the spotlight during the popular annual event.

Youngsters wowed judges with their folk songs, performances and light operatic solos The festival, which is affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals, was followed by last weekend's Blackburn Drama Festival which saw record scores being awarded to competitors.

Lorna Slinger, a member of Blackburn Festival committee, said: "The standards have been exceptionally high this year.

"We held the drama finals last week and there the adjudicators were extremely impressed with the standards of both the performers and the teachers in Blackburn.

"One had never been to Blackburn before and he was astounded by the high standards.

"One performer was given a 93 score which I have never heard of before and there were also a lot of performers scoring 90 which is amazing.

"It's been a very special year for us. "