Musselburgh’s Clark Concert Party has hit a high note after receiving a £1,000 cash boost from Tesco.

To celebrate its 60th anniversary last year, the group applied for a community grant from the supermarket giant through its blue token scheme, in which customers vote for their favourite charities.

However, the scheme didn’t go ahead as normal amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Irene Grant, spokeswoman for the Clark Concert Party, said: “We received a lovely surprise recently – Tesco decided to award everyone who had applied the sum of £1,000.”

Members of the concert party visited the local Tesco Extra store to pick up their cheque.

Mrs Grant explained: “We have still had bills to pay over the past 18 months – insurance and storage costs – and have recently paid out almost £1,000 for the latter. If we cannot get back to putting on shows in the very near future, this money could very well be our lifesaver and see us continue well into the future.

“We cannot thank Tesco enough for this scheme and, in particular, for this decision to award local groups in the community these much needed funds.”

The Clark Concert Party was founded by Robert Clark, who established a children’s concert party more than 50 years ago.

Mrs Grant was one of the concert party’s first members, playing Snow White in its first production in 1960 after the group, then called the St Ninian’s Junior Concert party, was formed by Mr Clark and his friend Rod Gibson in November 1959.

A former Musselburgh Citizen of the Year, Mr Clark was the concert party’s inspiration and chairman for five decades until his death in 2009; a year later the Clark Community Choir was also founded as a tribute to him.