JUDGES at this year’s Mini Idol competition were so bowled over by the talent, they crowned four acts as winners rather than three.

The hotly-contested event is a junior spin-off of York’s Community Idol contest, which is organised by the police to give young people a goal to aim for during the long summer holidays.

The Mini Idol final took place at the David Lloyd Centre in Hull Road, with 13 acts doing battle in front of an audience of more than 100 people.

The youngsters, all from primary schools in the York area, sang, danced and played musical instruments in a bid to impress the judges.

The best four acts were then chosen to open the grand final of Community Idol at York’s Grand Opera House on August 29.

PCSO Keith Hall, of the Micklegate safer neighbourhood team, who organised the event said: “It should have been three acts, but the quality was that high, the judges put four through. Everybody who took part was a winner for attending and performing and it was truly great to see the children supporting one another.”

The judges included Tanya Lyons, from Safer York Partnership, PC Jackie Scott, from the Micklegate safer neighbourhood team and York actress Olivia-Sian Evans.

Beth Elliott, from the church organisation Global, and Shirley Gennery, manager of the youth organisation 14-19, were also on the panel.

Each contestant was presented with a certificate signed by the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, Grahame Maxwell.

They also received a copy of the booklet No Go Yell Tell, which was created by PCSO Lee Johnson to warn youngsters about stranger danger.

The four acts chosen to perform at the Grand Opera House are Ebony Hiley, from Robert Wilkinson Primary School, Julia Wilson, from St Lawrence’s Primary School, Jamie Beardmore, from Scarcroft Primary School, and Jean-Paul Duddy and Francine Whale, from Knavesmire Primary School.

Heats for Community Idol, which is open to 11 to 19-year-olds, will take place on August 7, 14 and 17 at the David Lloyd Centre.

Entry forms can be downloaded from this website at thepress.co.uk/communityidol. The closing date for entries is July 31.