THE string quartet which entertained more than 170 guests at the recent Bolton and Bury Chamber annual dinner was plucked from the street in Manchester.

Students from the Royal Northern College of Music were entertaining passers-by in Market Street when they were seen by Helen Hardie, the Chamber's Public Relations and Promotions Manager, who was on a shopping trip.

"They sounded fantastic," Helen said this week.

"I stood there for about 10 minutes and then asked them if they were interested in performing at the Chamber dinner."

This chance meeting led to a well-received session at the Reebok Stadium sharing the works of Mozart, Ravel, Haydn and others with the cream of the local business community.

But they nearly did not get there.

When they came to set off from Whalley Range, Manchester, for Horwich the cellist, 23-year-old Jim Daykin, discovered that his car had suffered the attentions of a tyre slasher.

They were slightly late after waiting for the crisis to be sorted out, but it did not really matter.

Violinist Lisa Wetton, aged l8, clearly enjoyed the Bolton experience.

"We do a lot of weddings, but this is our first dinner," she said.

"When we play in Manchester we call it street performing - but it's busking really."

The other members of the quartet were viola player Emma Gostling and violinist John Visanji, both 19.

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