The town hall was alive with the Sound of Music when up to 300 film fans raised the roof of Stourbridge's 19th century civic building with song.

Scores of musical maniacs dressed as nuns, Germans and members of the von Trapp family for the Sing-along-a-Sound-of-Music at the town hall last night.

Some even dressed as brown paper packages and other items from songs in the classic 1965 movie which was shown with subtitles so the enthusiastic audience could join in.

The Julie Andrews film, one of the silver screen's best-loved musicals, attracted crowds of all ages from across the Black Country and Worcestershire.

The event was part of the first ever Stourbridge Film Festival - the brainchild of town centre manager George Whitehouse - and was a highlight of the 11-day movie extravaganza, the Black Country's answer to the glamorous Cannes Film Festival.

Some of the most striking costumes at the event were made out of curtains, in true Maria style, by members of Masquerade Dance Academy in Dudley.

Janet Poxon, Jill Snow, Diane Paskin and Colleen Cator bought five yards of floral fabric from Birmingham's rag market to make their costumes.

Elaine Warner, who was with colleagues from North Warwickshire NHS Trust, said she had been practising singing the songs at work in preparation for the evening.

And staff from Dudley Council's Early Years and Childcare Partnership, Belinda Clark and Debbie Hayley, had been watching the film over and over during lunch.

They gave a brief rendition of Lonely Goatherd before going in.

Selina Haynes and George Mackie hired their costumes to be part of the von Trapp family and Selina made ones for her six-year-old daughter Charlotte and seven-year-old friend Shoshanna Clay out of old petticoats from Oxfam.

"We decided to dress up hoping that plenty of other people would too," said Selina. "It is a cult film and Charlotte and Shoshanna have been very excited."

Sisters Helen Byng and Sue Price went to the show dressed as nuns with their mum to celebrate Sue's 28th birthday last week.

"We used to watch The Sound of Music together when we were little," said Helen.

Sadly 11 of the 18 films in the £30,000 festival, held in aid of Mary Stevens Hospice, had to be cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

The festival, which included popular American-style drive-ins at Himley Hall showing Grease and Raiders of the Lost Ark, kicked off on May 14 and ends tonight with a screening of The Pianist.

The awards evening due to take place tomorrow has been postponed until the second week in June.