TALENTED schoolgirl Florence Watts was named best junior performer at the Devizes Eisteddfod at the weekend.

Florence, seven, who is a pupil at Urchfont Primary, took part in a number of different classes including the drama monologue for under 11s.

The senior overall winner was Hannah Munday, 18, who despite having moved to Devon travels back to Devizes for piano and violin lessons. She is hoping to study music at Oxford University.

Her brother Joel, 15, was the outstanding violinist at the Eisteddfod and younger sister Eliza, 13, also performed well but was up against her brother in a number of classes.

Eisteddfod director Michael Johnson said he was delighted that this year's festival attracted the biggest number of entries since records began.

He was also particularly pleased that Devizes School had a number of entrants and Mr Johnson praised its harmony choir and junior choir. The junior choir has been invited back to take part in one of two winners' concerts that will be held on Saturday (Nov 21).

The choir from St Francis Preparatory School, Pewsey, will be the guest choir at the afternoon concert.

Mr Johnson also had good words for the choirs from St Margaret's Preparatory School, Calne, and Samuel Abel who won the Ann Lake cup for piano solo.

Mr Johnson said: "Trying to decide who should win the overall performer awards and who should come back for the festival concerts is very difficult.

"There are 133 class winners in total but only 30 can take part in the concerts. We try and take everything into consideration but it is not easy."

But he believes the standard at the two concerts to be held at 3pm and 7pm in the assembly room at the town hall will be high and performance level strong. The concerts are free and open to all.

He was delighted with the smooth running of the Eisteddfod. He said: "I am pleased to say that we have had an excellent couple of days with very few operational problems.

"The general feeling amongst competitors, parents and teachers, I think, has been overwhelmingly positive.

"One important feature of this year's event has been the running on into the evenings, to make full use of the facilities, which has been popular and certainly gives us room to expand the Eisteddfod further.

"Next year we embrace a third day when we introduce dnce to the Eisteddfod, to take place at Lavington School."

He is expecting 2016 to be busy for the eisteddfod committee and it will also be holding Wiltshire Choir of the Year as a successor to Young Choir of Wiltshire held in 2014.

He said: "The new event will be, we hope, a much bigger occasion, with a preliminary round on April 26 April followed by a final on May 14. For this promotion we hope to attract 15 choirs of young people aged 18 years and under."