A 92-YEAR-old scooped silverware at the 94th season of a music competition festival.

Maggie Newman, 92, was a part of the Thursday Singers which took home the Peter Carpenter Cup in the vocal trio, quartet and ensemble category at the Bournemouth Music Competitions Festival.

The volunteer-run festival was established in 1926 and has run each year, apart from for two years during the Second World War and one year during the pandemic.

It has continued to thrive, and at this year’s festival, Maggie starred with her group as they took home the top prize in their category.

She said: “There were five of us, I had a little solo in it, first, which was very lovely, and I enjoyed singing.

“Our singing teacher is a lady called Michelle Nova, so we have all been singing pupils with her for long years.

“She’s taught us how to sing, which I love. I love singing, absolutely.”

Maggie said it was ‘lovely’ to win the cup and it was her first time singing in the event.

“We got this little silver cup, so Michelle put that in her cabinet with other triumphs,” she said.

“I have to say, I felt very privileged at my age to be able to sing part of it as a solo.”

The group was accompanied by Simon Gulliver.

Elsewhere at the week-long festival, competitors as young as five showcased their talents at Talbot Heath School, on March 28.

It saw everything from original work poetry, sight reading, piano solos, string ensembles from the Boscombe Young Fiddle Orchestra, musical theatre, to Mozart and Shakespeare.

The festival aims to encourage the development of music, dance, speech and drama.

It offers a platform for public performance, with professional adjudicators, seeking to preserve cultural heritage.

It is volunteer run and is a registered charity.

It is nearing its 100th anniversary, bringing people together while sharing talents and celebrating the community, with people of all ages.

For more information and to enter to perform in next year’s Bournemouth Music Competitions Festival, visit the festival’s website.