Shirley Denne, a teacher from Carisbrooke C of E Primary School, said afterwards that “the evening was absolutely amazing. The two young lads with us were mesmerized by the cathedral choir. To experience and to be part of a beautiful Evensong service was such a privilege and indeed an honour, not only for the children and myself, but also the parents who had never heard an Evensong. They were astounded at the sound the choirs made and the beautiful setting. A few even said to me that it brought tears to their eyes and were very proud their child had been given the opportunity. The cathedral choir and serving members of the evening were very welcoming to the children and staff.”

The children themselves had this to say: “It was amazing”, “I have never seen such a big choir, their voices were beautiful”, “Best time ever”, “Loved the sound of the powerful organ”, “It was best thing ever – I really sang loud.”

For the past eleven years, Portsmouth Cathedral has run the singing partnership programme – Cathedral Sing! – with local schools across Hampshire to encourage and support children to make music. This includes members of Portsmouth Cathedral Choir. The event was free for children to sign up to, and is supported by a number of organisations, including Chapter of Portsmouth Cathedral, Williams Church Music Trust, Portsmouth Lottery, The Portsmouth Grammar School, Golsoncott Foundation, Music for All, Ouseley Church Music Trust, The Nugee Foundation and The Rainbow Dickinson Trust.