A GROUP of children with special needs performed a play in front of the Mayor and Mayoress of Southampton.

Brian Parnell and his wife Mary watched 14 youngsters from Awaaz - an after-school club for disabled children, particularly from ethnic minorities - act in Amrita's Story "Strong."

The youngsters rehearsed the production for ten weeks with Deborah Geering of Solent People's Theatre who wrote the piece for them.

In the story, Amrita lives in a village protected from storms and dangers by a huge forest. One day, the king of the land asks his woodcutters to cut down Amrita's trees so he can build a castle with the wood.

But the lumberjacks are sent packing by the young girl and her friends. The king returns with his men the following day, only to be caught in a sudden savage storm.

Realising the forest has saved his life he agrees not to fell any more trees and the story ends happily.

Supervisor Balwinder Khaira said: "The children loved it. They felt very proud when they finished."