A SPONTANEOUS burst of song on the Great Wall of China will be a memory that will stay with St Monica's RC High School for ever.

Members of the school's performance choir were lucky enough to enjoy a trip to China recently and their impromptu performance on the famous landmark was deemed a definite highlight.

The group was invited to the first International High School Music Festival in Beijing to sing alongside their partner school 171 Middle School.

A firm friendship has been formed between the two schools due to St Monica's attaining specialist language status and the opportunity was too good to pass up.

The choir and members of staff spent a week with Chinese students and teachers from the Beijing school participating in a round of concerts and visits.

The crowning glory of the trip was a performance by the choir in the closing ceremony of the festival which involved 100 choirs from around the world.

Deputy headteacher of the Bury Old Road school, Kate Watson, said: "Singing outside the Pudu Temple in the centre of Beijing has got to be one of the most memorable experiences and the students will undoubtedly treasure this memory all their lives.

"When we visited the Great Wall the choir were persuaded to sing one of their performance numbers on the wall.

"I believe my colleagues and I have never felt so proud of and so moved by our students."