I recruited our friends´ two boys Josh (8) and Jake Wallis (5) to go along so I would have a better idea of what children thought of the show as well as being a Christmas treat for the boys.

Within minutes of the show starting I was enjoying it almost as much as the children who packed Spalding´s South Holland Centre auditorium.

The story of Dick Whittington and his quest for fame and fortune was brought to life by SADOS (Spalding Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society).

Cast members really seemed to enjoy themselves on the stage.

It wasn´t long before the audience got into the spirit of things by shouting "Oh no he didn´t" and "He´s behind you" - both on and off cue.

The show, directed by Rob Munro, was brilliant and so was the cast. Nobody let the team down and one or two opening night mistakes were smoothed over brilliantly.

Rebecca Jones took the lead role of Dick Whittington and she looked confident and at ease on stage, her singing voice shining through.

King Rat, played by Gavin Dale, was a villain the audience found easy to dislike and the children loved booing when he appeared on stage.

Lots of audience participation really worked with a special Ready, Steady, Cook slot when children voted for their favourite team using the red tomato or green pepper printed in the programme.

A solo performance of Celine Dion´s My Heart Will Go On by Lisa Charnley, playing Dick´s love interest Alice, was carried off perfectly.

One of highlights for me had to be The Fairy Rap by Fairy Bowbells (Pam Cooke) and Fairy Jingle Bells (Philippa Chester) - so go along and see for yourself!

No pantomime would be complete without the mandatory water squirting and audience sing-along, both were provided much to the delight of the children in the audience

Sharon Saggs got the audience laughing as Sarah the Cook and Peter Wilson won the audience´s hearts as Jack, Sarah´s son.

I came away feeling almost as elated as the boys.

The production was everything a panto should be - loud, lively and most of all fun.

n The show runs until Saturday with performances at 2pm and 7pm today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday) and 2pm on Saturday.

Tickets (£7, £5.50 concessions or £23 family) are available from the South Holland Centre box office on 01775 725031.