Burnley choir wows Eurovision winner at Christian Resources Exhibition in Manchester

A 50-member Burnley children's choir have wowed a former Eurovision winner by treating her to a rendition of her winning song at the Christian Resources Exhibition in Manchester.
The exhibition's puppet show.The exhibition's puppet show.
The exhibition's puppet show.

With the song contest winner, Irish vocalist Dana Rosemary Scallon, having opened the exhibition held at EventCity, the children's choir from St Leonard's CoE Primary School treated her to a very special performance of her hit All Kinds of Everything in which they changed some of the lyrics to incorporate various clerical items on show such as chasuble (a piece of clothing) and thurible (an incense burner).

The children - whom Dana said sung "brilliantly" - were also entertained by One Way UK's Ian Jones, who put on a puppet show, and took part in an interactive exhibition by Compassion UK which saw them walk through a recreated slum to give them an appreciation of how children in Uganda and Ethiopia live.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They also got the chance to have a look at the Embassy Bus, a re-purposed luxury tour bus once used by Coldplay now serving the homeless in Salford, to try their hand at landing an aircraft with MAF UK, and do their bit for charity by packing food for Hand to Hand, a Feed the Hungry movement to send food to needy parts of the world.

Some of the choir members with Dana.Some of the choir members with Dana.
Some of the choir members with Dana.

"It was a wonderful day and worth all the hard work of learning the opening song," said the school's head, Beverly Holmes. "The children were also thrilled to learn more about the lives lived by young people in other countries and taking part in the other activities."

The exhibition - at which more than 400 churches were represented - included 150 stands and more than 30 seminars covering everything from cyber security to safeguarding in church.

There was also a talk on the complexities of Brexit led by Andy Flanagan of Christians in Politics which incorporated and a prayer wall encouraging people to write a prayer for those involved in the Brexit negotiations. Dana, herself a former Member of the European Parliament for Ireland, spent time at the prayer wall, praying for the continuing negotiations.