PUPILS from a Worcester school will perform in a children's opera as part of an academy Trust's arts festival.

Youngsters from Perry Wood Primary and Nursery School will join pupils from three other schools in the Griffin School's Trust for The Cotton Mill, an opera they have helped produce, create and perform.

The opera has been overseen by Lewis Delivett, director of music, and is based on the theme of Utopia, to fit in with the Griffin Arts Festival 2017.

Forty-five students from across Worcester, Leyton and Milton Keynes will tell the story of Freddie and Danielle, two children who unexpectedly become friends and are faced with the hard truths of life in a Victorian cotton mill.

Lucy Cuthbertson, director of performance, said: “Opera should be for the many not the few.

"What better way to tackle the art form's elitist reputation than by creating a piece from scratch, with children and for children.”

Justin Creasey, the Trust's executive head, said: “This has been such a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved.

"Watching the children grow in this creative process has been heartening and completely underpins the Trust's three pillars of Proud Traditions, Wide Horizons and High Achievement.”

The performance will take place during the festival at 7pm on Friday, July 7 at St Mary with St Edward & St Luke, Leyton.

Alongside Worcester pupils will be students from Riverley Primary School and Willow Brook Primary School, in Leyton, and A-level music students from Stantonbury Campus, in Milton Keynes.

Tickets are available from eventbrite.co.uk