The Choir and Musicians of St Augustine's RC High School, Billington, Lancashire

This Ribble Valley School, lying in the shadows of the beautiful Pendle Hill, has become renowned in the field of music, not only in this country but internationally. Their close liaison with WWF is fast becoming legendary as they continue to spread the message of conservation far and wide through the powerful medium of their music.

On several occasions they have performed in the capital - in 1983 with their first performance of Yanomamo (followed by an appearance at the Edinburgh Festival), in 1986 at the Barbican Concert Hall with their premiere performance of African Jigsaw, and in 1987 at the Royal Festival Hall, this time with Sir Charles Groves and the Philharmonic Orchestra at a Royal Gala Charity performance for the homeless.

In 1988, at the request of the Smithsonian Institute, St Augustine's gave the first American performance of Yanomamo at the World Financial Center in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, with rockstar Sting as narrator. Sir David Attenborough, David Bellamy, David McCallum and the late sir Michael Horden are other personalities who have shared the stage with these remarkable children.

In 1987, on BBC's Songs of Praise, they performed a specially commissioned Harvest Festival anthem - Care for your World - and in March, 1989, presented their own Daily Service on BBC Radio 4, again featuring new music by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon. Their performance of African Jigsaw was recorded by Thames Television at their London studios for broadcast on ITV in 1987. A further programme was made for ITV's Middle English series for schools. On Easter Sunday, 1989, Channel 4 broadcast the TV adaption of Yanomamo with Sting as narrator. This award winning programme, entitled Song of the Forest, has now been distributed to over twenty countries. Shortly after its first transmission, the school's work on behalf of the environment was officially recognised when two of the young soloists were presented to the Duke of Edinburgh and later, when the Head Boy and Head Girl, both performers, were presented with the prestigious Ford European Conservation Award by the Minister for the Environment at a ceremony in the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

In 1990, St Augustine's gave the first performance of Ocean World at the Festival Hall, later recording it for Channel 4's Fragile Earth series. This beautiful programme - made by North/South Productions - with its stunning images, was narrated by Sir David Attenborough. More recently, in June 1996, the children experienced standing ovations at all three performances of Arabica, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, the Palace Theatre, Manchester and King George's Hall, Blackburn.

In 2000, the youngsters from the school gave premier performances of Song of Creation in The Festival Hall (London), The Barbican (York), The Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), Philharmonic Hall (Liverpool) and King George's Hall (Blackburn). On the 20th anniversary of Yanomamo the children gave a new performance of this popular rainforest musical with guest narrators Ivan Hattingh, Toni Hudson (the original whale in Ocean World!) and Jane Flynn, a much loved retired teacher from the school.

In July 2005, the school reworked Daughters Of Pendle, this time directed by Liz Belshaw and given five nights' of performance. The final performance also sadly marked the leaving of Peter Rose to start a new life with his family in the Highlands of Scotland. His replacement is Toni Hudson, a much-admired and talented former choir member who will undoubtedly carry on developing new traditions at St. Augustine's.

The School's Website.