WITH the dance element still to come in the Devizes Eisteddfod the 2018 event is already being hailed as the most successful ever by the organisers.

Held over two weekends the festival of the arts has continued to expand with a 10 per cent increase in the music entries and a 15 per cent increase in those competing in the art, literary and photography classes.

This year the numbers involved in the speech and drama sections has doubled compared to last year.

Director Michael Johnson said: “It has been a great privilege to head up a very hard working team to produce this year’s event.

“I have been enormously impressed by the standard reached by so many of our performers and despite all the cuts being made to arts budgets everywhere it has been very rewarding to see so much talent on display.”

For the first time in the Eisteddfod’s 72-year history adults have performed and although numbers were small Mr Johnson said it was hoped more people will want to enter those classes next year.

Another new development this year has been the inclusion of an adult choral event, held in St John’s Church, Devizes, last Thursday evening.

The public concert featured The Philomel Singers and St John’s Parish Church Choir and was enjoyed by all those present.

It proved a fine end to the Eisteddfod’s Choral Festival in which St Margaret’s School Chamber Choir won the Wiltshire Junior Choir of the Year Competition and Marlborough Youth Choir the senior event.

Some of the country’s leading adjudicators judged this year’s Eisteddfod. Commenting on the event speech and drama judge, aAAdjudicator Marcia Carr said: “It was joyous time.”, a truly wonderful Festival and it was a pleasure and honour to have been invited.”

The next stage is the dance section is next stage of the 2018 Eisteddfod is the Dance Festival held this weekend 24/25 November (November 24-25) at Lavington School.

To conclude the festival the Eisteddfod Festival Concert, that includes the Wiltshire Young Musician of the Year Competition, is in the Town Hall Assembly Room on December 1. at 7.00pm.