DEDICATED singers and actors have travelled from London to put on a performance.

The City Opera group has come to Ryedale for the fifth year in a row, this time to perform Puccini's opera, La Boheme, at Helmsley Art Centre.

Deputy director at the centre, Jean Kershaw, said: "There are 20 of them in an evening class and they rehearse all year. They are great people - they are all students and quite young, but a lot are very professional and go on to singing after this."

She said the production was a good introduction to the world of opera.

"It's a love story and there's a very famous solo in it towards the end. It's quite a short one as well - it lasts in total about one hour 20 minutes."

The opera will begin at 7pm tonight. Tickets cost £12, and £10 concessions, and are available from the box office on (01439) 771700.