A talented dancer from Norfolk has been paying thanks to her family and dance teachers after securing a �40,000 scholarship to a top London arts college.

Andi-Louise Horne, of Clark Road, Ditchingham, was accepted to five prestigious dance colleges and cried when she found out she had been awarded the scholarship to her first choice school, Laine Theatre of Arts in Epsom.

The Bungay High Sixth Form student, who started dancing aged five years old at the June Glennie School of Dance, said she wanted to be a dancer for as long as she could remember

'Everyone has been so good to me and all my dance teachers have put in so much time and effort and my family have been amazing,' she said.

The 18-year-old also emphasised that rural Norfolk and Suffolk were gems for 'hidden talent' and should not be forgotten in the world of creative arts.

'There is lots of creative talent round here, there are amazing dancers and singers. Living in this area shouldn't put them off and I would say to them just to believe in themselves and just go for it – Mum and Dad have believed in me all the time.

'I have to give a huge thank you to the June Glennie School of Dance, for the tuition, patience, belief and passion which has shaped me into the person I am today. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them.'

Her parents, Andy and Ashley Horne, added: 'We are both incredibly proud. The whole family are proud.

'The training given has enhanced her personality and she is a beautiful girl with a bubbly, infectious personality.'

donna-louise.bishop@archant.co.uk