Headteacher Brian Beresford has received acclaim from the music industry for his Christmas songs for children.

His composition, Wonders, reached the final of this year’s UK Songwriting Contest, which had almost 6,000 entries, and his other two submissions, “Just An Ordinary Mary” and “Is There A Room?” were judged to be semi-finalists.

“I’m quite staggered to learn that my songs for children have been rated so highly, particularly because the vast majority of those entered are rock and pop songs,” said Mr Beresford, who lives in Skipton and is head at Whalley CE Primary School.

Wonders is a gentle, reflective song about the experience of discovering Jesus both at his birth and in the lives of people today, and was first performed at Whalley School last Christmas.

All three songs feature in his newly- published “Christmas Wonders” collection.

The UK Songwriting Contest was formed through a partnership between the BRIT Trust (of BRIT Awards fame) and The Music Aid Organisation to promote the art of songwriting. The contest is now held annually.

Although it is the only major national UK annual songwriting event, the contest also attracts entries from all over the world and past winners and finalists have been noticed by such music greats as Sir Paul McCartney and Simon Cowell.

Mr Beresford, who lives on Moorview Way, was also a finalist in the 2006 UK Songwriting Contest for Samson Power, the title song of his first musical play for primary school children A former pupil of Settle High School, he started his teaching career at Carleton CE School and while there started writing music for schoolchildren.

Over the past four years he has published two musical plays, two Christmas collections and music for guitar.

And his CDs of reflective music for school worship is regularly used in 800 schools.

His work was recently featured in “Primary Teacher” magazine.

Snippets of his music, including “Christmas Wonders” can be heard on the website onemoretime.biz