Festival Chairman, Alderman Thomas Burrows (left), conductor of Burnley Gilbert and Sullivan Society, winners of the light opera chorus class, with adjudicater Mr. David Lloyd, a member of the staff of the Royal Manchester College of Music.

From an article by Allan Halstead:
Burnley Music Festival 1971 will be remembered (due to a postal strike) as the one when the telephone bill shot sky high as organisers dealt with hundreds of competitors who normally make their entries by letter. Music secretary Mr Cyril F. J. Morris said his telephone was 'red hot' and he covered many miles by car taking out competition forms. Despite these problems the festival chairman, Ald. Thomas Burrows said there had been scarcely a hitch in the programme and he couldn't remember as many people present on a Saturday evening (13th March 1971).

The festival adjudicator Mr. Peter Gellhorn was from London but he revisited a wartime home in Coal Clough Lane where he stayed when he was assistant conductor with Sadler's Wells during their temporary sojourn at Burnley's Victoria Theatre. He was specially impressed by the youth choirs and praised the High School Youth Choir who took third place. Mr. Gellhorn also commented on the general high standards of the older singers with two or three "outstanding voices" among the soprano and messo-soprano classes. Adjudicator Mr. Arthur Rooke of Southport paid a special compliment to the music teachers of Burnley and Todmorden for the excellent quality of their tuition.

The article gives a full list of results and details more successes.