A group of 400 school children surprised council leaders at their school by breaking into a flashmob dance to support Merton's bid to be London's Borough of Culture in 2019.

To the sound of “Do-re-mi” from the Sound of Music, every pupil from St John Fisher Catholic Primary School - aged five to 11 - teamed up to showcase their coordinated dance moves.

The council delivered its bid at the Light Up Morden Christmas event on Friday (December 1), entitled Common Ground, which it said will bring together creative industries, sporting heritage and artistic talent from all four corners of the borough.

Should Merton win London Borough of Culture status, it will benefit from over £1 million from the Mayor of London in February to make the events and aims in the bid become a reality.

Leader of Merton Council, councillor Stephen Alambritis said: “We are all very excited about our bid.

“A huge amount of work from people in all parts of the borough has gone into make it a stand-out piece of work.”

Leader of Merton Council Conservative Group, councillor Oonagh Moulton said: “The Morden Christmas lights event is the tip of iceberg when it comes to the cultural treasures we have here just waiting to be discovered.”

St John Fisher Primary School's music teacher Joanna Reuss said: “Our flash mob showed that every individual has an important role to play."