CHILDREN FILL THE CATHEDRAL WITH SONG.

FIRST there was light, then there was singing.

A chorus of schoolchildren from across Sunderland filled Durham Cathedral with song yesterday. Their performance brought a glow to the ancient building, just a day after its exterior was lit up for the festival of light. More than 200 young singers from five Sunderland primary schools took part in the annual Durham Cathedral Partnership Singing Day. Ahead of the performance Mish Kelly, director of Outreach at the Cathedral, worked busily with Albany Primary, Burnside Primary, Highfield Community Primary, Hudson Road Primary, and St Joseph RC Primary.

The Mayor of Sunderland, Coun Dennis Richardson, was in the audience at the performance. He said: "I am really looking forward to representing the people of our city at this marvellous event, which has become one of the musical highlights of the school year.

"It is an occasion to remember, both for the friends and families who come to see their children singing beautiful music in the cathedral, and for the children and their teachers from the schools involved this year who have worked so hard to prepare for this."

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ATMOSPHERE Pupils from Albany Primary School in Washington were among those singing at Durham Cathedral yesterday.