CHILDREN and staff from a Chaddesley Corbett school received a Papal Blessing and got to sing in front of hundreds of people in the Vatican during a trip to Rome.

Small Catholic prep school Winterfold House took a group of 48 pupils, six staff and 26 parent supporters to the Italian capital as part of a joint Choir and Classics tour aimed at supporting their studies whilst also offering them the opportunity to sing in historic venues.

The pupils performed at the Alter in the main hall of the Vatican and at the Pantheon.

After the Mass in the Vatican Main Hall, the school received a Papal Blessing which Headmaster Bill Ibbetson-Price proudly accepted on behalf of the group.

Before the second Mass performance, in the Pantheon, the group took the time to have a quick a cappella rehearsal on the streets outside, where an admiring crowd gathered to watch them.

Mr Ibbetson-Price said: “Initially only around three to four hundred people were allowed in to the Mass in the Vatican, but as soon as the doors opened, people flooded in. Our pupils’ singing was amplified all around the Vatican.

“There were so many highlights. From the impromptu a cappella performance outside the Pantheon, to singing at the main alter in the Vatican. This was a trip that we shall all remember.”