THE Rossendale Festival Choir and Burnley's The Basics Vocalize Choir have made the final shortlist for a major county singing competition.

They are among six choral groups who will compete to be named Lancashire Choir of the Year 2024.

The final and celebration concert will be held at The Great Hall at Lancaster University on Thursday November 28 - the day after Lancashire Day.

The other four finalists are Lancaster's Barton Road Community Choir, Leyland's Red Rosettes, Cleveleys-based The Capricorn Singers and Chorley's The Song Rooms Choir.

The Lancashire County Council-organised competition aims to encourage a wide range of choirs from communities, workplaces and schools to come together to showcase their talents.

Open to people from Lancashire, Blackpool, and Blackburn with Darwen, the popular contest sees singing groups record their best performance on video, in a bid to reach the finals.

Last year's winners, Pendle Ladies' Choir were awarded a professional recording session after giving a lilting, cheerful performance of 'The Nightingale', as well as the more melancholic 'The Snow'.

On the night, the judging panel will announce the overall winner, as well as runner up prizes and a 'People's Choice' award.

Lancashire County Council culture boss Cllr Peter Buckley said: "We started the prestigious Lancashire Choir of the Year competition in 2022 as a way of finding the choirs who represent the very heart of the county.

"We were looking for something very special from across different ages and abilities with the emphasis on that wonderful community feeling seen previously in this groundbreaking competition.

"This year, we were delighted to see entries from a wide and diverse range of choirs, with our talented finalists representing a real mix of ages and areas from across their communities.

"We are very much looking forward to the finals, when we will showcase the best of what Lancashire has to offer."