A KNUTSFORD choir has hired children from a school in Macclesfield to take part in its popular Christmas concert.

Tony Wood, chairman of the Tatton Singers, said none of the schools in Knutsford seemed interested in taking part in the event at St John’s Church on Saturday.

“Four years ago we got Manor Park School,” said Mr Wood.

“They joined us for the evening and it was fantastic. Since then we have always had great difficulty bringing people from Knutsford schools in.”

On Saturday night the choir, which has, in the past, hired Ryleys School in Alderley Edge and Terra Nova in Holmes Chapel, will be accompanied by the King’s School junior choir.

Mr Wood, 69, said the Tatton Singers had tried to encourage sixth-formers from Knutsford High School to join.“Whenever we’ve spoken to music departments we’ve never got a positive response,” he said.

Last week he suspected state schools in Knutsford were unable to devote enough time to music.

“There is so much other work in the curriculum that a lot of music has to be done outside school,” he said.

“If children are not interested in being at school after-hours they don’t get involved in music.

“If somebody wants to watch a video or play football after school they won’t be singing.”

The former school governor, who moved to Willow Green in Knutsford from Colchester five years ago, also believes teachers cannot devote time to preparing choirs like they used to.

“Teachers are under so much pressure with filling in forms and things,” he said.

“But I think the arts should be given as much priority as the scholastic subjects.”

Mr Wood, though, hopes a Knutsford school can take part in the concert next year - he has sent free tickets for this year’s event to all the schools’ music departments and written them a letter asking if they would like to take part.

“Come January we’ll be looking for next year’s choir,” he said.

“It would be nice if we did get two or three from Knutsford that want to do it. We couldn’t use them all but we could save the others for the following year.”

Tickets for Saturday’s concert, which starts at &.30pm, are £8 and available by calling 01565 650641.