Bolton's Schools Music Association kick-started their 48th festival on Monday.

Over 2,000 children from 57 schools are performing during the course of the week at Victoria Hall.

For the last few months they have been working hard learning festivals songs.

Val Deary, chair of the association, said: "It was a wonderful start to our long festival.

"Each school performed their own items with great enthusiasm and the mass choir delighted the audience with their singing.

"Our conductor Rachel Hughes had done a splendid job in bringing schools together to perform so magnificently.

"After such a wonderful start we are looking forward to the rest of the festival."

The participating schools are:

Tonight: Bolton Youth Training Band, All Saints Primary School, Clevelands Primary School, Chorley New Road Primary School, Devonshire Road Primary School, Lever Edge Lane Primary School, St Ethelbert's Primary, St Peter's Primary Farnworth, St Peter's Primary Smithills Dean and St William of York Primary.

Thursday: Bolton Youth Harmonies, Blackrod Primary, Castle Hill Primary, The Forwards Centre, High Lawn Primary, Lord Street Primary, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary, St Bede Academy, St Brendan's Primary, St Saviour Primary, Sunning Hill Primary, Thomasson Memorial School, Washacre Primary.

Friday: New Century Strings, Bishop Bridgeman, Church Road Primary, Leverhulme Community Primary, St Catherine's Academy, St James Primary, St Mary's Primary, St Stephen and All Martyrs Primary, St Teresas Primary and The Gates Primary.

Tickets are available on the door, £4 for adults, £2 for concessions and £1 for children.