YOUNGSTERS became street performers to entertain shoppers for the day - and promote their forthcoming show.

Horwich Amateur Operatic Dramatic Society is bringing the popular musical Annie to the Albert Halls in May.

And to give potential audiences a taste of what is on offer, a group of girls playing the young orphans took to cleaning the town hall steps.

Publicity officer Andrew Platt said: "We cannot afford to spend huge amounts on marketing and promotion, and this is a cheap and effective way of doing it.

"It attracted attention and, despite the cold, the girls had fun. We had a lot of interest with people asking what we were doing, which is exactly what we wanted.

"The town hall steps were gleaming by the time the girls had finished!"

The AODS is planning to stage another publicity stunt in the town centre in the coming weeks.

Annie opens at the Albert Halls runs from May 22 to 26 and features a West-End style orchestra and a cast of 40.

Mr Platt said: "It is our annual major production and we want as many people as possible to see it."

Daisy Forshaw, aged eight, who is one of the youngest members of the cast, said: "I would say to people to come and watch the show. We worked hard on Saturday in the cold.

"I hope when I am older to may be have more glamorous parts than cleaning steps. But in Annie I get to sing and dance, which is a lot of fun."