SHOPPERS came to a standstill in the city centre to hear talented youngsters perform songs from a smash-hit musical.

Young performers from WODYS - Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society Youth Section – were in the High Street on Saturday performing tunes from their upcoming production of Whistle Down the Wind, which opens at Worcester's Swan Theatre on Tuesday, August 1.

And the impromptu performances went down a storm with passers-by in busy street, many singing and clapping along to songs such as No Matter What – a number one hit for Boyzone – and the upbeat I Never Get What I Pray For.

Standing eight feet tall and dressed as an old-fashioned bobby on the beat, stilt walker and friend of WODYS, John Parnell, who recently made it through to the live semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent, helped to hand out leaflets and entertain the audience.

Whistle Down The Wind, with its cast of 57 youngsters, aged eight-to-18, is on at the Swan Theatre from Tuesday to Saturday, August 1 to 5, with evening performances at 7.15pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

Proceeds from the interval raffles will go towards Perdiswell Young People's Leisure Club, in Worcester, which offers short breaks and weekly youth club sessions for young people aged 10-to-24 with disabilities, complex health needs and challenging behaviour.

Tickets are available by calling 01905 611427.