AUSTRIAN nuns and German soldiers thrilled visitors to an Egremont primary school play.

Pupils at St Bridget's School put on a performance of the iconic musical 'The Sound of Music' to an audience of parents and members of the community.

"This is the first time we have produced a musical at St. Bridget's and boy are we glad we did! The performances the children gave were worthy of a place on a West End stage," said headteacher Suzanne Smith.

"There are so many talented children in our school and this was an opportunity for these talents to shine through. The feedback from the parents and families, who came to the shows, was overwhelming."

Based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, the show is about a young Austrian woman studying to become a nun in Salzburg in 1938.

She is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower to look after his seven children.

After bringing love and music into the lives of the family, she marries the officer and together with the children they find a way to survive the loss of their homeland.

At St Bridget's, the headteacher also thanked the teachers for the part they played in putting on the play.

She said: "It wouldn't have been possible to put on such a wonderful production if it weren't for the hard work and dedication of all the staff.

"We are so delighted with how well our first musical went, we are already thinking about next years!"