CHARD Local Kids Society for Music and Drama (CLOKS) put on a delightful Christmas musical in Combe St Nicholas church last Friday and Saturday evenings.

‘A Pudding for the Chimney Sweep’, by Kane and Kane, had a very Dickensian, Victorian feel with its tale of a poor little chimney sweep, impoverished orphans scratching a living and whole families being overworked in the harsh cotton mills of a Midlands English town.

There was a family of privileged girls, blissfully unaware of the cruelties inflicted on the working children in their family-owned factory and also a pair of dishonest and vindictive men in the forms of factory manager Gradshaw and rent-collector Quigley.

It was a lovely story, beautifully told; wrongs were put right, the poor were fed and everyone looked forward to a heart-warming Christmas.

Maria Farey directed the production with her trade-mark flair and skill, producing yet again a show bursting with energy and enormous talent.

With only a dozen rehearsals under their belt the cast excelled in the high standard of their singing and their accomplished acting and dancing – no easy feat in the cramped confines of the performance space at the front of the church.

These performances by CLOKS have fast become a highlighted feature of the local pre-Christmas festivities, each year we remark on the exceptional talents of the young performers and question each other aloud, of Maria Farey; ‘How does she do it?’ We don’t know, but we certainly hope she continues to encourage, inspire and showcase these capable young people.

Helen Rose