JUDGES at this year’s Mini Idol competition were so impressed by the talent they crowned four acts as winners who will now perform at York’s Grand Opera House.

The hotly-contested event is a junior spin-off of York’s Community Idol contest, which is organised by the police to give young people a goal to aim for during the long summer holidays.

The Mini Idol final took place at the newly-refurbished Clements Hall, opposite Scarcroft School, and more than a dozen acts aged seven to 11 sang, danced and played musical instruments in front of an audience of about 80 people in a bid to impress the judges.

The best four acts were then chosen to open the grand final of Community Idol at the Grand Opera House on September 3.

They are Wigginton Junior School pupils Meg Badrick, a singer, and pianist Benjamin Kilner, singing duo Chloe Griggs and Libby Smith, of Elvington CE School, and Jemima Rowley, of Scarcroft School.

PCSO Keith Hall, of the Micklegate safer neighbourhood team, who organised the event said: “The standard from the young people was exceptionally high and the voting was very close.

“Everyone that took part deserved a place at the Opera House however we could only put through a number of performers to the senior event final.”

Applications are still open for the senior event and heats take place on August 2 and 12 which again will be held at Clements Hall from 2pm each day.