Launch of New Website and Songbook

The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth received a surprising delegation from local composers, 40 children from St. John's Roman Catholic Cathedral Primary School, and Bombay the cat masquerading as Puss in Boots. They were there to sing and celebrate the launch of Portsmouth Music Hub's new website and the publication of its latest songbook for children, Story-Scape.

Story-Scape is a compilation of songs produced by Portsmouth Music Hub's award winning team of composers. Children from across Portsmouth were asked to suggest their favourite stories. They came up with a long list, including Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Puss in Boots. But the children's involvement didn't stop there.

As Sue Beckett, CEO of Portsmouth Music Hub said at the launch, the children were a key ingredient in the final product: 'Children have tried the songs and worked with the Hub's composers. We believe it's vital to put children and young people at the heart of the composition process. They are the driving force for everything we do.'

On the same day Portsmouth Music Hub launched its new website. The site has been designed with teachers, parents and children in mind. With regular news, events and updates about the ongoing work of the Hub it aims to communicate a strong message about the many cultural achievements in Portsmouth.

Sue Beckett said: 'Launching the songbook and our new website on the same day seemed the perfect thing to do. Story-Scape embodies so much of what the Hub stands for; bringing talented and dedicated people together to produce new compositions for children. The website is the springboard to show a much wider audience what we do and how much can be achieved by the young people in Portsmouth. Hopefully the words, music and website launched today will inspire children to enjoy a life-long passion for culture.'