Last updated 09:49, Tuesday, 18 November 2008

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Amy McGraffin, 14, from Westfield, Workington, with the trophies she won.

HUNDREDS of performers took part in Workington Musical Festival.

It was the 79th music festival since the First World War and is the oldest Eisteddfod outside of Wales.

The four-day festival included verse speaking, hymn singing, piano playing and Bible reading in the Theatre Royal and St John’s Church, on Washington Street.

The prestigious Williams Gold Cup, awarded to the best singer from all the adult solo classes, went to Helen Moore, of Cleator, who also won the cup in 2001 and 2003.

The cup was donated to the festival in 1926 and was most famously won by contralto Kathleeen Ferrier, from Silloth
Last year the cup was won by Gillian Rothery, of Whitehaven.

Olive Kewley, honorary vice-president of the festival committee, said: “It went very well. We had a lot of schools competing who haven’t been with us before, which is encouraging."

Mrs Kewley also paid tribute to Sarah Holmes, who died earlier this year and had been on the festival committee since 1975.
The festival is affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech.