HUNDREDS of youngsters danced their way to top trophies in the 55th annual Nelson Festival.

The event, held over two weekends at the Pendle Hippodrome Theatre, Colne, prompted entries from all over East Lancashire and from as far afield as St Helen's, Bury and Preston.

Although the festival clashed with Burnley's, the two have different disciplines and classes and so complement each other.

Festival secretary Muriel Mutter said: "It has been very successful and the number of entries is more or less the same as last year. Over the past two days we had the ballet section. It was the 50th year for this section of the festival.

The adjudicator was Susan Latham from Redditch and she seems to have ben quite impressed and she was giving out some good marks."

Local winners were: Cabaret duet international: Natalie Berry and Rebecca Robinson, Blackburn; character, Melissa Wright, Langho; senior non-cabaret duo, Kate Wignall, Whalley, and Helen Thrower, Preston.

Modern: Sophie Towers, Burnley; senior cabaret duet: Kate Wignall and Melissa Wright; ballet: Melissa Wright; Song and dance: Melissa Wright; ballet age 11 and 12 years, Hannah Fox, East Lancashire.

Trophies, Hilda Ainsworth trophy and Ethel Waring trophy, Melissa Wright; Mrs Parkinson trophy, Kate Wignall and Melissa Wright; Susan Chippendale junior trophy, Elizabeth Hill trophy and Hannah Kershaw trophy, Alison Lonsdale, Colne; Susan Chippendale senior trophy, Helen O'Connell, Nelson; Lynsey Marie Brown trophy, Hannah Fox.