YOUNGSTERS in Bolton are being invited to find their voice at a singing group.

Each week, up to 10 children attend Tonge Children’s Centre, Starkie Road, Tonge Moor, for Sing First sessions where they play fun singing games, develop skills, learn songs and get the chance to perform.

Organised by Bolton Music Service, part of the Greater Manchester Music Hub, staff want more schoolchildren to attend the sessions to build confidence and self-esteem in their young lives.

Karen Lindop, musical director, said: “It’s more than just a choir.

“It’s actually a group that nurtures talent and helps the children to feel confident and feel part of a group.

“It’s an opportunity for them to shine.

“These are young people who perhaps don’t engage in school music activities and who perhaps come from disadv-antaged areas.

“It’s aimed at the young people who perhaps haven’t got a lot of confidence or had the chance to do something like this before.

“It’s a chance for them to perform, make new friends and to build up self-esteem and confidence.”

The music hub is made up of nine local music services, each with their own Sing First sessions, including Bolton’s at Tonge Children’s Centre, between 4pm and 5pm on Wednesdays and Salford’s at Little Hulton Library, from 4pm to 5pm on Tuesdays.

The groups, made up of children aged between 11 and 14 in school years six to nine, regularly come together to perform concerts, including one with 100 youngsters in January, with another planned for June 29.

Mrs Lindop said: “The children have recently done a concert at the Royal Northern College of Music.

“All those groups came together and showcased their own pieces but also sang two pieces together.

“It was the first time they had done anything like that and it was really inspiring.”

The project is funded by a Youth Music grant and parents in Bolton can take their children along to one of the Sing First sessions at Tonge Children’s Centre free of charge.