The Sound of Music school production raises £1,400 for Sparkle Appeal (From Bournemouth Echo)

The Sound of Music school production raises £1,400 for Sparkle Appeal

11:00am Sunday 17th March 2013 in News By Diana Henderson

THE hall was alive with The Sound of Music as 70 youngsters took to the stage to sing and dance their way through the popular musical.

A two-hour production at the Bournemouth Collegiate Prep School in St Osmund’s Road, Poole delighted its audience, who left humming the well-known tunes.

The eight to 11-year-olds spent six weeks rehearsing for the annual production which was a real hit with those who saw it during a dress rehearsal and two performances for parents and friends.

“We had some Glenhurst Manor retirement home residents who came to watch the dress rehearsal,” said Jane Kilpatrick, the school’s marketing officer. They were absolutely thrilled. They couldn’t believe how professional the children were. They went out singing.”

The youngsters really enjoyed acting out the story of the wayward nun Maria who joins the von Trapp family as governess to the seven children and ends up married to the Captain and fleeing the Nazis.

Jane Taylor of Glenhurst said: “It brought back lots of memories for the residents.

One of our residents had performed in the Sound of Music many years ago, the show was very special for her.

“We were all astounded by the quality and talent of all the children that took part.”

She said they were left, “with a very happy feeling for the rest of the day”.

During the dress rehearsal a cheque for £1,400 was handed over to the Victoria Education and Sports College’s Sparkle Appeal, which is raising funds for a therapy centre at the Branksome Park site, as work gets well underway on a £2.8million hydrotherapy pool.

The money was raised during a Winter Ball held by the school and the cheque was handed over by Claire Bates, chairman of the ball committee, to delighted fundraiser Lorraine Holmes.