ALL three final events of this year's St Andrew's 40th Competitive Festival in Gorleston were well attended and the appreciative audiences were treated to varied displays of the talent of young people and adults from the local area in the fields of music, speech and drama.

ALL three final events of this year's St Andrew's 40th Competitive Festival in Gorleston were well attended and the appreciative audiences were treated to varied displays of the talent of young people and adults from the local area in the fields of music, speech and drama.

The event was also attended by mayor and mayoress Cllr Tony Smith and his wife Sara - it is sponsored by Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

Comp�red by joint co-ordinator Sheila Pascall, the Senior Concert was held in the Chapter House, on Friday, March 19, with Cllr Bert Collins and his wife Maureen as special guests alongside Marie Hartley, culture, sport and leisure manager on Yarmouth Borough Council.

The successful competitors in the cClasses held during the Festival fortnight, repeated their performances before a packed audience and received their trophies and medals from the mayor and mayoress.

The Harold Taylor Memorial Trophy, which is given each year to the competitor who has entered the most classes, receiving high grades for all of them, was won jointly by Oliver Speed and Evie Calver.

Tony Mallion, who was involved with the Festival in its earlier days, comp�red the Junior Concert the following afternoon at Lynn Grove High School.

The Recital and Bircham Awards Evening was at the Chapter House on the Saturday evening, introduced and guided by Margaret Jermany, Festival chairman.

Speaker Bob Boardley, who had been among the founder members of the Gorleston St Andrew's Music and Arts Festival, which used to be held in the Autumn, outlined how it had been conceived from an idea put forward by former Vicar of St Andrew's, the late Rev Tony Clements. He described how the Competitive Festival had been developed a year later to promote music, speech and drama in the borough, particularly for young people, and the organisation falling largely into the capable hands of the late Harold Taylor.

The competitors for the Advanced Bircham Award of Festival Musician of the Year and the Advanced Recital Award performed in front of the panel of two professional adjudicators - Kenneth Hytch, chairman of the panel, and John Slade. Contestants for the Bircham Award were Maxim Calver ('cello), accompanied by Paul Miller, Phoebe Thomas-Weekes (flute), accompanied by Paul Miller, Jamie Sapsford (violin), also accompanied by Paul Miller, Annie Turnell (piano) and Andrew Greenwood (piano).

During the interval, people were able to view poems and illustrations from the Gorleston Millennium Manuscript, inspired by the 14th century Gorleston Psalter. Poems were selected from the Manuscript for special poetry reading classes in this year's Festival, following a suggestion from John Barndon of Gorleston in Gear.

The Recital Award was contested by Jennifer Youngs (flute), accompanied by Paul Miller, and Vidas Vaitkevicius (piano). While the adjudicators retired to make their decisions, Annie Turnell entertained the audience by playing her harp, then Maxim and Vidas, both of whom gave excellent performances of all their pieces from memory, were declared respective Award winners.

The presentation of the trophies, certificates and medals was shared between the Mayor and Mayoress, the two adjudicators and the special guests. Members of the audience were given the opportunity to vote for one of the competitors, with the result that Maxim won the Audience Easter Egg prize.

Mrs Jermany concluded by thanking the sponsors, programme advertisers, performers and accompanists, teachers, parents, the committee and many supporters of the Competitive Festival for making the Festival such a success.

If anyone missed the display of photographs taken at all three final events and also the folk workshop, please contact 01493 667204 to arrange to view and order.

Trophy Winners

Senior Recital Winner: Vidas Vaitkevicius (piano)

Bircham Festival Musician of the Year: Maxim Calver (cello)

Intermediate Recital Winner: Megan Storer (flute)

Electronic Keyboard: Madhulika Joglekar, Elaine Garvey. Piano: Magathe Guruswamy, Galliard Piano: Andrew Greenwood.

Piano Duet: Andrew Greenwood and Annie Turnell.

Junior Woodwind: Fae Catchpole. Senior Woodwind: Phoebe Thomas-Weeks.

Brass: Jasmine Hewitt.

Junior Recorder: Natasha Nielsen.

Folk Trophy (shared): Oliver Speed, Tykea Smith and Katie Hewitt.

Junior Strings: Evie Calver.

Galliard Strings: Maxim Calver.

Junior String Ensemble: Ormesby Village Strings.

Bircham Guitar: James Oxborough.

Junior Orchestra: Ormesby Village Junior School.

Senior Orchestra: Ormesby Village Senior Orchestra.

Consort Cup: Great Yarmouth Youth Brass Band.

Chamber Cup: Andrew Greenwood and Annie Turnell.

Talbot Happy Cup: Old School Henstead Choir.

Bob Sweetman Memorial (shared): Katrina Porter and Jennifer Rose Steed.

Junior Pop: Sabrina Bucknole.

Junior Musical Theatre (shared); Alexandra Hubbard, Gabriella Harvey and Reece Cook.

William Gunn Memorial: Eva Harris-Cooper.

Gilbert and Sullivan (shared): Nathan Catchpole and Reece Cook.

Foreign Song (shared): Chrissie Minton and Jackie Darby.

Adult Pop: Andreas Koutsonikolas.

Adult Musical Theatre: Sarah Darney.

St Andrew's Junior Choir (shared): Ormesby Village Junior School and St Mary's Junior School.

Gwen Reynolds Choir: Caister Infant School.

SMA Trophy: Caister High Voice Squad.

Galliard Trophy (choirs): Ormesby Village Junior Chamber Choir.

Junior Choral Speaking: Stradbroke Junior School.

Junior Verse Speaking (shared): Victoria Burgess and Evie Calver.

Senior Verse Speaking: Dinah Williams. Prose Reading: Rosy Kelvey.

Bible Reading: Edward Nourse.

Original Verse: Dinah Williams.

Three Millennium Awards (�50 each): Junior Choral Speaking Old School Henstead. Junior Solo Verse: Kristie Read. Senior Solo Verse: Johnnie Bayfield. Senior Drama: Caister High Year 11 (Improvisation Group). Junior Drama: (Hannah Sayers). Harold Taylor Memorial Trophy (shared): Oliver Speed and Evie Calver.

Outstanding Awards: Cobholm Primary Recorder Ensemble, Barnby and North Cove Primary School Accordians, Nathan Hindes, Oliver Speed (2), Jake Oram, Katie Hewitt, Tykea Smith, Tutti Folk Band, Ormesby Village Junior School Strings, Ormesby Village Junior School Main Orchestra, Evie Calver, Ormesby Village Senior Orchestra, Ormesby A Strings, Maxim Calver, The Calver Family, Hannah Sayers.

Distinction Awards: Woodlands Primary School Keyboard Ensemble, Grace Pettigrew and Evie Calver, Emily Russell and Nathan Hindes, Annie Turnell and Andrew Greenwood, Magathe Guruswamy, Evie Calver (3), Lucy Fayers, Alex McEwen, Annie Turnell, Andrew Greenwood (2), Chloe Chipperfield, Emily Russell and Nathan Hindes, Tutti Swing Band, Caister High Ignorance is Bliss Rock Band, Caister High Samba Group, Fae Catchpole, Jasmine Hewitt, Great Yarmouth Youth Brass Band, Cobholm Primary School Recorder Ensemble, Tutti Fifes, Tutti Penny Whistles, Lucy Cole, Thai Holland, Toby Chatfield, Harry Grand, Tony Upritchard, Aditi Lal, Archit Lal, Natasha Nielsen (2), Ormesby Village Junior School Senior Violins, Grade 2 Violin Ensemble, Years 3-6 School Strings, Emily Lawler, Annie Turnell, Ormesby “Triad” String Ensemble, Jamie Sapsford (2), Emily and Colin Lawler, Katja and Christoph Ruda, Da Capo Chamber Trio, Da Capo Chamber Group, Da Capo Folk Group, Reece Cook, Sabrina Bucknole, Jackie Darby, St Mary's Primary School Choir, Martham Primaru School Choral Society, Old School Henstead Choir, Ormesby Village Junior School Choir, Gabriella Harvey, Alexandra Hubbard (2), Ormesby Village Junior School Chamber Choir, Andreas Koutsonikolas, Hollie Hacking, Shani Cantor Vocal Academy Ensemble, Lula Smith, Victoria Burgess, Charlotte Mills, James Basey-Fisher, Caister High Year 11 Improvisation Drama Group, Rosy Kelvey, Brooke Smith, Alice Ward and Hannah Bacon, Ellie Peel and Olivia Reeves, Gabriel Hill, Kristie Read, Caister High Year 8 Drama Group, Caister High Year 7 Drama Group, Keely Thane.