IT S big, brash and incredibly loud but the annual St Albans Scout and Guide Gang Show is just about the best exhibition of the talent and exuberance of the youth of the district that anyone could wish to see. With a cast of around 120 young people aged b

IT'S big, brash and incredibly loud but the annual St Albans Scout and Guide Gang Show is just about the best exhibition of the talent and exuberance of the youth of the district that anyone could wish to see.

With a cast of around 120 young people aged between 11 and 25, the huge spectacular - by far the biggest show to get onto the stage of the Alban Arena each year - is the result of months of work by a truly dedicated team of behind-the-scenes people who achieve a show which rivals many professionally-produced events.

This year's show was in that sense no different to many of the previous 30. It was slick and glitzy, packed with tremendous music and dance routines.

And then there are the short sketches, often relating to Scouting and Guiding events. This year they were amongst the funniest that I can remember - indeed one telling the official and unofficial version of an annual troop camp demonstrated to me that things have changed little since my Scouting days around half a century ago.

With the constant high standard that producer David Barker and his team achieve in every aspect of the show there is little wonder that it has gained national - and even international - fame in the Scout movement and that it had been successful in picking up top awards from the National Operatic and Dramatic Association, NODA.

It also deserves recognition for its music, both the quality of performance and the tremendous arrangements prepared by the team.

But above all what marks out the show as one of the exciting events in St Albans every year is the huge amount of enthusiasm it generates, not just from those taking part but also from all the youngsters in the audience.

It's often hard to tell if the music and singing on stage or the tremendous response from the audience are creating the loudest noise.

It is something I usually leave with a thumping head, but it is, nevertheless, an event I try not to miss. The pity is that the Gang Show can't run for a few extra days so that a far wider cross-section of the community could see just how much talent the youth of St Albans really has.

JOHN MANNING