KEIGHLEY Amateurs came home from a prestigious regional drama festival with a clutch of awards.

The group’s production of musical Whistle Down The Wind, and its performers, attracted four top prizes.

The show itself gained the Best Musical award at the recent Wharfedale Festival of Theatre.

Brogan Hollindrake was named Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of the leading character Swallow.

Claire Johnson was voted Best Supporting Actress for her role of Candy, while John Sandland was the Musical Director.

Judges from the Wharfedale Festival of Theatre watched Whistle Down The Wind when it was presented at Victoria Hall in Keighley last October.

Keighley Amateurs, chairman Louise Hindle-Barton said the group was delighted to receive recognition for the show.

The Wharfedale Festival of Theatre exists to promote, celebrate and encourage good amateur theatre in the area.

It is open to amateur dramatic and operatic societies and youth and schools groups and, though centred in Wharfedale, performances given in the Leeds, Harrogate, and Bradford areas are also eligible to enter.

Amateur societies such as Ilkley, Harrogate, Yeadon, LIDOS, STARS and Stage 84 are regular entrants.

Louise said the Wharfedale Festival of Theatre was a friendly festival with a unique "community" feel.

She said: “Keighley entered for the first time this year and is delighted that the judges recognised the individual achievements and the overall quality of its musical production."

“I am very proud of the society’s achievements. We can only go from strength to strength when we are able to work with such talented people."

Whistle Down the Wind was directed by Jamesine Cundell-Walker, who also received recognition as Best Director in the festival for her production of Not About Heroes.

Matt Gardner won special recognition for his role as Siegfried Sassoon in the drama, which was set during the First World war.

Matt played a leading role in Whistle Down The Wind and is a Keighley Amateurs committee member.

Whistle Down The Wind, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, was the flagship production for Keighley Amateurs’ centenary year.

Based on a famous film starring Hayley Mills, the stage version is set in a small American town where an escaped convict is mistaken for Jesus by a group of children.

The group is following up the success this October with a very different musical, the popular family show Annie, which will be at Victoria Hall from October 21 to 25.