The Piece Hall Big Sing has been nominated for a national award

The project was a collaboration between The Piece Hall, Calderdale Music Trust and York based Performing Arts etc.

Read: Hollywood icon Robert De Niro dines at Halifax town centre restaurantIt revived the traditional Piece Hall Big Sing with a modern twist. Primary school children from nine schools worked with Sam Dunkley, Founder of Performing Arts etc, to write brand new songs which explored the historic Piece Hall, as well as Halifax and Calderdale more widely.

Themes featured in the songs included trades of the past, famous and infamous characters who walked the floors of the Piece Hall, and Halifax Zoo.

The Piece Hall Learning and Participation team hosted the schools in order to introduce the subject matter of the songs before the project began. Performing Arts etc provided the artistic lead and musical direction and the music hub provided logistical support.

Read: Get into the festive spirit at Bankfield Museum's Christmas fairEarlier this year, 850 children from 21 schools came together with a live band in the Piece Hall to perform the songs to an audience of some 2,500 people including the Mayor of Calderdale.

Sam Dunkley said: “This was a fantastic project - songs about Halifax and its history, written by children from the area, performed by even more children from the area, to an audience of people from the area! It was routed in the history of Calderdale and the Piece Hall and we achieved some really special work so it’s really exciting to be nominated and recognised in this way.”

This project, which is among a range of other projects nominated from across the UK, was supported by Community Foundation for Calderdale, Ernest Cook Trust and D’Oyly Carte Foundation. The winners will be announced in March at a gala ceremony taking place at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane Hotel, Mayfair.

IN PICTURES: Halifax sparkles at annual Christmas lights switch on