From hospital to night in spotlight

Kelston Intermediate's Crissy Briggs loves being on stage. Photo / Brett Phibbs

There's plenty to worry about when you are a patient at the Starship children's hospital, but 12-year-old Crissy Briggs' biggest concern was whether she would get out in time to perform at last night's Kelston Pride Festival.

The Kelston Intermediate student has a rare lung disorder which causes her to cough up blood - something that puts her in hospital "every couple of months".

The latest episode happened two weeks ago, and Crissy was more anxious than usual to get out, so she could take part in the festival with her classmates.

"I was really stressed because I really wanted to perform."

She was given the all-clear on Saturday.

"I was happy because then I knew I was going to be able to perform - and see everybody and come back to school."

Crissy was one of about 60 Kelston Intermediate students who took to the stage at Kelston Boys' High School last night in front of a sellout crowd.

The annual two-hour festival, which has been going for about 10 years, gives seven local schools a chance to show off the best of their musical and cultural talent.

Each school gets to perform for about 15 minutes - something that is a highlight of the year for students like Crissy, who is in the cultural group Pacific Fusion and hip-hop dance group Kelliblock.

"I get a rush of excitement and it kind of pushes me to go harder," she says.

Kelston Intermediate principal John Widdup said the festival, which is funded by the Kelston Community Trust, was a chance to bring the community together for a fun-filled family event.

"It's celebrating what Kelston is - it's a community that's very much together. The schools are Kelston's community [and] they are very, very strong because there's a lot of them."

Other schools involved included Kelston Girls' College, Kelston Boys' High School, St Leonards Rd School, Fruitvale Primary and the Kelston Deaf Education Centre.