PINT-SIZED actors and musicians are putting their theatrical and vocal talents to the test this week at a popular new outdoor arena.

The circular performance area has been created at Smallwood Primary School, and is intended for concerts, shows and assemblies.

The area features tiered seating which can cater for all the children at the school, and is part of an imaginative project which includes a wooden "Stonehenge" and a pergola.

The outdoor area has cost £9,500 to create, and is proving an instant hit with pupils, who had a direct say in what the scheme would include.

The new area has taken up about a quarter of the playing fields at the back of the school, and has been designed using block paving.

"The outdoor area has only been possible thanks to the amazing support and generosity of local firms," said headteacher Pat McDonnell.

Mrs McDonnell began asking businesses for help at the start of this year, and work on creating the area began in August.

The school contributed about £1,000 to the cost of the project, with financial backing also coming from the William Dean Trust and Congleton Borough Council.

Mrs McDonnell is now working on her next project, a geology park, which she hopes will be finished by Christmas.

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