HUNDREDS of youngsters from all over Wiltshire and further afield will be honing their talents this week ready for the musical and singing classes of Devizes Eisteddfod which runs from Thursday to Saturday.

There will be more than 200 classes of music, speech and drama and will get underway with a choral festival at St John's Church on Thursday.

Eisteddfod director Michael Johnson said: "The main event of the day will be the staging of the 4th Wiltshire Choir of the Year Competition with junior choirs in the morning and senior ones in the afternoon.

"Trophies, plaques, certificates and cash prizes of £500 will be awarded after each session to winning choirs. In the evening there will be an adult choral concert, a non-competitive showcase featuring the Seend Singers, Philomel Singers from Trowbridge, the St John’s Church Choir, Devizes and Courage Choir from Bradford on Avon.

"Admission to this concert is free with a retiring collection. The Eisteddfod continues with classes in Devizes Town Hall throughout the three days to which admission is again free of charge."

The final part of the 2019 Eisteddfod will be the Festival Concert in the Town Hall Assembly Room on Saturday, November 30 at 7pm. The concert includes the 4th Young Musician of Wiltshire Competition in which five outstanding young musicians will compete with a £250 prize for the winner donated by the event sponsor, Wansbroughs Solicitors. Admission to this concert is free with a retiring collection.

The Eisteddfod Souvenir Programme is now available for £3 from Winkworth Estate Agents, Market Place, Devizes.