TALENTED young musicians from Smithills School are in a class of their own after becoming the World Champion School Brass Band.

A jury awarded the acclaimed senior band a fantastic 288 points from a maximum 300 in the 1997 World music Contest in Kerkrade, Holland, at the weekend.

And Smithills School's musical director Chris Wormald was presented with the World Music Contest Medal as the winning conductor in the international competition.

The band, who will hold the title until the next championship in 2001, received the award in front of an audience of 3,000.

They were treated to a champions' welcome by head teacher Mike Kehoe, teachers, parents, family and friends when they returned to school last night from Holland.

This is the latest in a number of impressive musical successes for the school, on Smithills Dean Road, Bolton. Last Friday, the Senior Concert Band beat off competition at the Royal Festival Hall in London to become National Schools Concert Band Champions by winning the outstanding performance award in the National Festival of Music for Youth finals.

And last Monday the school's Senior Percussion Ensemble scooped top prize in the section for rock and electronic music in the same competition.

Both bands have been invited to play at London's Royal Albert Hall in November in the BBC Youth Promenade Concerts.

And Chris Wormald is further celebrating after being named the 1997 Disney Television North West Teacher of the Year and winning a £2,000 cheque for the school's music department.

Mr Wormald said: "It is not often I cannot put into words what the pupils have achieved but to become Best School Brass Band in the World is something else!

"The whole band was outstandingly professional in quality throughout our programme in temperatures which were well in excess of 100 degrees fahrenheit."

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