SPEECH House was the setting for the annual schools country dance festival in the Forest of Dean last Thursday (June 23).

Around 640 children from 27 Forest schools took part in the event which has been running in the Forest for over 60 years.

Leigh Grantham is partnership manager for West Gloucestershire Support Partnership (WGSP) based at Berry Hill Primary School in Coleford and including primary schools from Newent down to Tutshill.

She told the Review: “It was a brilliant evening. The weather was good, after we rearranged the event from last week due to rain.

“We always begin with a parade of all the schools carrying their banners and it was great to see all the outfits as they are often so bright and colourful. There must have been around 1,000 people there altogether and it was lovely to see parents and friends joining in with the last dance.

We even had a new school, Tibberton from just outside of our area, joining in for the first time this year.”