Songwriter Linda Creed may have written the words “I believe that children are our future” but it’s a sentiment that’s definitely shared in amateur dramatics circles.

And it was for that reason in the late 1980s, after successful productions of The Wizard of Oz and Oliver! which both featured large numbers of child stars, that the management committee of Workington Amateur Operatic Society decided to branch out.

To maintain membership numbers for the present and into the future, the society decided it needed to maintain as many young members as possible.

Many years after a previous youth group had folded, it was agreed to hold Saturday morning sessions for children, and WAOS Juniors were born.

Geoff Hubbard, who ran the sessions in the early years, said: “These proved to be very popular and we did in fact keep quite a number of children interested.

“At that time the aim was to teach children the basics of performance skills, in a fun way. The juniors proved to be very popular and numbers were constant, and a few months later Ed McGee joined the group.

“Shortly after that we had our first workshop with professional director David Marcus who gave us ideas to move the children on.”

Performing for outside groups followed and, in 1991, the juniors staged their first production of Bugsy Malone.

Geoff said: “The scenery was made by our stage crew and members of the society and the production was directed by Ellis Jones, a professional best known for his part in Pardon My Genie, a popular TV show at the time, who had been working at Blue Box Theatre in Keswick. The success of this prompted us to move on with confidence.”

The group went on to perform more concerts at various venues before decided to try another production.

Geoff said: “By this time we had a proper committee with Linda Adams, Pat Nicholson and Jane Prewett joining.

“I had been listening to a musical at home called Snoopy and thought it would be a good show for us, and everyone agreed.

“Little did we know that this type of show would set the standard for our future shows, i.e. not written for children.

“Luckily we had the right cast at the right age. We also decided to direct it in house, with Ed on the script and myself on the musical numbers, again make our own scenery, and John Willis was the musical director.”

The next production was even bigger than the last as the group staged Peter Pan, bringing in adults to play the roles of Captain Hook and Mrs Darling.

Geoff said: “For some reason we had to rehearse it for two years. The group knew it back to front and up and down by the time it was staged in 1998.”

After this production Geoff stepped down from the group, with other members joining Ed and Pat to take up the reins, but he has remained involved with the society ever since and remains proud of the juniors’ achievements.

Geoff said: “From this time it was so pleasing and made me so proud that former junior members have been part of the committee including Helen Thompson, Carolyn Westnedge, Natasha McKenzie, Daniel MacCreedy, Jennifer Hawley McGee, Jen Walker and Tony McGee, and at least one mum, Alison Walker.

“These and others, including their own musical director Liz Condron, have taken the group to new heights.

“Now the juniors shows cost many thousands of pounds to bring to the stage. They visit other society productions both here and away, they have professional make-up instruction, and they learn circus skills.”

Their shows have received recognition by the National Operatic and Dramatic Society, and the 2016 production of Les Miserables picked up awards for best ensemble and best staging of a youth production.

Geoff said: “From the days of making our own scenery the group now works as a senior group hiring costumes and scenery worth many thousands of pounds so that our audiences get the best.

“To bring the story full circle, every year a member of the juniors who has shown most improvement is presented with a trophy, the Tom and Joyce Walker Trophy.”

Among the best things about being involved with the juniors, Geoff says, is seeing former members still in the world of drama and the arts.

He said: “Nathan Walker is a performance artist and lecturer, Matt Harper Hardcastle is a theatre director and company founder, Clark Wilkinson now a freelance producer and cabaret performer after working for Bill Kenwright Productions for 8 years, Tom Norman is an actor and Darren Tremble is a professional singer, presently on cruise liners.”

The group will celebrate the anniversary with a concert, Let’s Start at the Very Beginning: 30 Years of WAOS Juniors, at the Carnegie Theatre on July 14 at 7.15pm.

The show will feature numbers from the society’s back catalogue.

Tickets are £13, available at carnegietheatre.co.uk or on 01900 602122.