Once again students from the Gale Force theatre school all but swept the board at this year’s Manx Music Festival, taking home 10 silver trophies. Some 45 Gale Force students entered the festival, which saw them earn a total of 48 distinctions and the school’s A team take away the Clennell Cup for first prize in the Gaelic choirs category with an honours grade of 92 marks. A number of Gale Force students had entered the festival for the first time including soloists Mica Caley and Isobel Clarke, both just seven years old and scoring 84 and 83 points respectively, while others were competing as soloists for the first time, all of whom earned in excess of 80 points. The school’s founder and director Barbara Gale said: ‘Yet again the students’ hard work has paid off and produced some truly outstanding group and individual performances, not least 11-year-old Nick Harvey who competed against the other first prize soloists of the week to win the Sheffield Plate. 2011 has proved our best year to date at the Guild and has inspired us all to aim even higher in the future. Now in our 23rd year I believe I can say with some confidence that Gale Force has become synonymous with “success at The Guild.”’ ENDS