More than 240 schoolchildren have dazzled in a production held at the county's cathedral.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral was taken over on November 15 and 16 for three performances of Flooded!

The production was supported by public funding from Arts Council England and The Vestey Trust.

Flooded! combined The Fools’ Flood by Neil Clayton, a new play about a historic flood in Bury St Edmunds, and Benjamin Britten’s family opera, Noye’s Fludde.

The production was the largest arts project undertaken by the cathedral in recent times and involved not only 240 schoolchildren but also local professional creatives, including Britten Pears Arts and Suffolk Music Service.

The Very Reverend Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury, said: “Flooded! was a thrilling production which the children excelled in.

"Welcoming schools to partner with us on this production was wonderful and we’ve heard such positive feedback from audiences.

Schoolchildren take part in cathedral production Schoolchildren take part in cathedral production (Image: Tom Soper)

"A huge thank you from all at the Cathedral to those who came along and supported all our performers.”

The Fools’ Flood, written by Neil Clayton, tells the real story of 13th century Bury St Edmunds, when monks at the abbey decided to dam the Tayfen Brook which flooded the marshes to the northeast of the town.

Enraged by this, town citizens try to violently tear down the dam with some rather nasty consequences.

Noye's Fludde is an operatic classic, written by Benjamin Britten and first performed in St Bartholomew's Church, Orford in 1958, during the Aldeburgh Festival.

Written especially for a mixed company of professional and community players, the piece tells the famous story of Noah's Ark and the Great Flood sent by God to sweep the Earth.

As well as being full of music and action, Flooded! included costumes decorated by the children themselves, often with recycled materials.