Published at 10:10, Monday, 21 January 2013

By Natalie ChapplesMORE than a hundred singing children were left disappointed when icy weather forced a major concert to be called off.

Pupils, staff and parents from at least four Barrow and Walney schools had set off on their motorway journeys yesterday to the Manchester Arena to perform in Young Voices alongside thousands of children.

At 10.30am Young Voices confirmed on its website that the evening show was going ahead, following weather related queries from schools.

Groups from Greengate Junior School, North Walney Primary School, South Walney Junior School and Newbarns Primary School all set off in coaches, and some parents also travelled in their own cars. Around lunchtime organisers contacted the schools to say the concert, for children across the North, had been called off when some other schools couldn’t make the journey because of the weather.

Staff at the Barrow schools got in touch with their colleagues on the coaches, and some had already received the announcement on their mobiles. It is understood that one of our local schools and some parents had reached Manchester before the announcement.

The children had been looking forward to performing the Diamond Jubilee number one track, Sing, with the African Children’s Choir, and singing with Britain’s Got Talent runner up, Connie Talbot.

North Walney Primary headteacher Phil Webster said: “It is unfortunate, but the main thing is that everyone is safe.”

His school group, which included some 30 children, had got to Lancaster when they got the news to turn around.

Mr Webster said: “We are a bit disappointed, we waited for (the organisers) to give the go-ahead before we set off. Hopefully, we can go back on February 8.”

Sue Jackson, the headteacher at Greengate Junior School, reiterated Mr Webster’s thoughts. Greengate had 30 children due to perform.

Mrs Jackson said: “The kids are very disappointed. They had said in the morning ‘we are going, aren’t we?’”

The head said the trip had been costly, but the school would like to be represented at the rescheduled event.

The Young Voices team posted on Facebook: “The concert on January 18 at Manchester Arena will be postponed to February 8.

“We are sorry if this has caused and major problems but we have to act on the information from our schools.”

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk