THREE Bury students will be performing on their biggest ever stage this summer.

Joanne Laherty (17), Katie Whitehead (18) and Jenny Cliff(16) have all been picked as dancers in the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games in Manchester on July 25 in front of a TV audience of millions.

The teenagers are pupils at Holy Cross College, and were selected after taking part in auditions at the Whitefield Dance Workshop.

Joanne, of Hillsborough Drive, Sunnybank, has been a keen dancer since she was three. She took part in the pantomime Aladdin in Stockport last year and recently completed a spell in Copacabana at the Dancehouse Theatre, Manchester.

"I am really looking forward to dancing at the Commonwealth Games this summer," she said. "The atmosphere will be amazing."

Jenny, of Moorside Road, Tottington, recently showcased her talents when taking part in an unplugged evening at the college for bands, singers and dancers.

Katie, from Salford, has been dancing since the age of three and recently took part in The Ring of Stones at the Lowry Theatre as well as starring in Cinderella at Bury Met.

Two other Holy Cross students, Sam Crump and Emma Parker, were successful in auditions for the Games ceremony, but withdrew due to exams and the heavy rehearsal schedule.