Children at Tregoze School Swindon performed a new musical for Christmas with an unusual local connection at the end of term.

The production 'Stable Manners' tells the story of the nativity from the perspective of the animals in the stable who are vying for a prime position that has recently come free due to the demise of a horse.

But before any of them can claim the spot two humans move in and take it. One of them produces a baby, angels appear and three men in fine clothes bearing gifts arrive and the magical story became the central feature of Christmas.

What is the local connection? This biblical story set in the Holy Land was composed in West Swindon by Margaret Carpenter from Shaw. Stable Manners is the latest of the fourteen musicals she has written, the fourth published for performance by schools, youth and church groups throughout the country.

She described Stable Manners as an allegory on what Christmas means. "Nowadays most people think they are the most important and are jostling for position. But the story of Christmas is about the coming of Jesus into the world, and we should give thanks for the love he brought."

The 45 minute musical has ten songs, including a rap, which give children lots of fun in singing them. Last summer children from Tregoze and Brook Field schools came together to record a CD of Stable Manners which is distributed with the lyrics and musical score by Out of the Ark Music. Sales have been going well and many schools around the country will have performed the work before Christmas.

Some of the Tregoze children joined a much larger cast at the Christian Outreach Centre in mid-December to sing to over 400 people at each performance.

"It is thrilling to see local schools perform my work," she said. "Swindon children have such enthusiasm for singing."