SINGERS from Barrowford have now achieved national success by being named Youth Choir of the Year.

The all-girl Arden Youth Choir wowed judges to beat off nine other choirs from across the UK at the Manchester Amateur Choral Competition.

The girls had travelled to the Royal Northern College in Manchester having already passed an initial selection stage which whittled the choirs down from over 40 to just 10.

Judges praised the choir for their performance of ‘Hushabye Mountain’ from the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, for their vocal technique, enthusiasm and diction, their 100 per cent commitment to the music, their joy in singing and having an overall “wow factor”.

This year is the first time that the Manchester Ama-teur Choral Competition has had a youth choir category., Last year Arden Youth Choir came third in the competition competing against adult choirs.

Conductor and musical director Susan Eames said: “I was really nervous, as expectations were high after last year, and the other choirs all sang brilliantly.

“I’m so proud of the girls to achieve their first national competition win, this has really pushed the choir to a new level.”

The choir was founded by Mrs Eames in 2005 and is for girls aged between 10 and 18. It currently has around 30 members.

In July this year it performed twice in Paris, at the world famous Notre Dame Cathedral and in front of hundreds of tourists at Disneyland.

Its next performance is tomorrow at 7.30pm at St Andrew’s Church, Barnoldswick. Proceeds raised will go to the Royal National Lifeboat Association.