RAMSBOTTOM's Square Street Singers are going on the record.

The 40-strong choral offshoot of the Summerseat Players amateur dramatics group are recording their first album.

The CD, which they hope to release in November, will boast an eclectic variety of songs.

The first recording session, held at Ramsbottom's Theatre Royal, included classical pieces and traditional British folk as well as pop songs from Abba, Lennon and McCartney and Elton John, and numbers from musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rogers and Hammerstein and Bernstein and Sondheim.

The choir was conducted by musical director Peter Larkin and accompanied by Pam Larkin on piano and electric keyboard. Sound engineer Dave Royle will master the recordings to get the best sound possible.

Publicity manager Brian Hunt said: "In 15 years we've gone from a dozen singers to more than 40. With singers aged 15 to 80, we've become a very strong choir so we thought it was time to put that on record.

"The first session was quite tiring and stressful because we're working to different standards to what we're used to. A cough or one bum note is reason to stop the recording and start again, whereas in a live performance no one would notice. But we want these recordings to be really good and to give no one any reason to say this is a Sunday school party having fun."

A second recording session will be held in October. The CD will go on sale at the Theatre Royal box office as part of the major drive to raise funds for improvements at the theatre.

There are already plans for a follow-up festive release in time for Christmas and New Year.