Talented youngsters performed at the formal opening of a very special and very big guest to Dorchester - and they even had their own personalised song.

DASP Youth Orchestra and Skylarks Choir were chosen to perform at the opening celebrations for Dippy on Tour at the Dorset County Museum.

The orchestra performed 'Jurassic Park' and 'Largo from New World Symphony' as background music, whilst the VIP guests viewed Dippy and enjoyed champagne and canapés. 

In addition to the orchestra, James Osborne-Jackson, Sam Lawson, Joe Lyndley and Zach Stevens all performed solos and/or duets.  The orchestra then performed 'The Fossils' as a special show-cased performance straight after Dippy was formally opened by the special guests.

The following night saw DASP Music return to Dippy for a special performance by Skylarks Choir. This event was a family-friendly VIP event for people living in the area. The choir were able to have exclusive access to Dippy and take part in various Dippy-themed activities.

They performed a special Dippy song that had been written by Hanna Trevorrow, DASP music coordinator, especially for the event.

Mrs Trevorrow said: "I wrote the song especially for the Skylarks Choir as they had been invited to sing at the opening of Dippy on Tour. I wanted to include lots of dinosaur facts in the song and for it to be catchy, so that the children could pick it up easily. The final result is quite cheesy but lots of fun.

"Skylarks had a fantastic time performing the song at the VIP opening event. It was really exciting for them to be singing the song with Dippy looming over them. I’m hoping that all the schools in the Dorchester Area Schools Partnership will learn the song over the coming weeks, but it would be lovely if schools further afield were given the opportunity to learn the song too. It’s just a fun way to learn some Dippy facts and prepare for a visit to see Dippy."