SCHOOLCHILDREN took part in a musical project at Wiltshire Music Centre, inspired by the words of Bradford on Avon-based poet Dawn Gorman.

The Watercycle project saw nearly 250 pupils from St. John’s Primary School, Grove Primary School in Trowbridge and Christ Church Primary in Bradford on Avon attend the annual education and performance project which pivoted on water-inspired music.

Pupils worked and performed with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and students from St Augustine’s College created their own musical composition in response to the poem entitled Replenishment.

Ms Gorman, who has based most of her poetry on the town, said she was inspired to write the poem after a walk near the canal after Christmas which she later entered into a competition run by Wiltshire Music Centre.

She said: “In my mind, I equated the emptiness I was feeling with it just being after Christmas into words about the water. As the sun came out I felt better and my work is about the recuperative powers of nature.

“The children were an inspiration to me and it was brilliant to see how the students at the secondary school interpreted the poem into music.”

As one of only nine national venues to take part in Watercycle, the performance at Wiltshire Music Centre was part of a three-day residency by the OAE.

Tamsin Oldham, creative learning manager, said the event showed how important it is to include local school children in music education.

She said: “There are some really talented kids and this is such a great opportunity to show them what they can do with music."

“When we contacted local primary schools and asked them if they would like to participate with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment they immediately said yes because working with a world renowned orchestra is an experience which is second to none.”