CHORISTERS of a Southampton school were up at the crack of dawn yesterday morning for a traditional welcome to May.

At 6.15am the choir of King Edward VI School, in Shirley, maintained a 50-year tradition which used to involve climbing to the top the Bargate in the city centre to sing in the Mayday celebrations. A small crowd of parents and passers-by gathered at the foot of Southampton's historic

gateway as the choir ended their hour-long performance by ceremonially dropping red carnations over the side on to the on-lookers below.