Thousands of people turned out for an arts and musical spectacular which was held to celebrate the River Severn in Bridgnorth.

Music, drama and art were all combined on Saturday when the crowds watched a performance of Sabrina and the Engineer as part of the Severn Project 2008. This event was to celebrate Sabrina, the Goddess of the River Severn.

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The weather held out for the 4,000 visitors who flocked to the free event. Organisers today said the event was a huge success.

Sue Goodwin, project leader and head of arts development at Shropshire County Council, said: “The event was an amazing honour for the hundreds of participants in the lantern procession and the finale was beautiful and inspiring and enjoyed by hundreds of people from all over Bridgnorth and beyond.”

The event started with a lantern procession by hundreds of local school children who wound their way through the streets starting at the town hall to the Severn Valley Country Park.

The children had all been involved in workshops over the last few months led by artists from the local area.

The procession was accompanied by music from a community choir made up of various different choirs from across the Bridgnorth district and a percussion group. As the lantern procession entered the park, the Pelenna Valley Male Voice Choir were belting out songs and the Highley Colliery Band also played.

The final performance of the evening was of Sabrina and Mr Ferrous, the engineer from the title of the play.

The play dramatically told of the relationship between the river and the Industrial Revolution.

Alongside the play were actresses playing water nymphs who spouted 30ft water jets from their crowns to dramatic effect.

The performance was held on a stage in ‘Sabrina’s Lake’ which was constructed by organisers.

The event also featured a water fall which projected films and imagery from the Industrial Revolution.

The finale for this spectacle of music, storytelling and songs was a theatrical water display with pyrotechnics.