LOCAL students have been inspired following a very special visit from award-winning musicians and a former Royal Ballet dancer.

Sound Waves South West (SWSW), a Bude-based charity, has been enriching the lives of young people throughout the area through a vibrant series of workshops in local primary schools. Schools were presented with interactive concerts by award-winning Toscana Strings and former Royal Ballet dancer, Laura Tye, with the aim of inspiring creativity in local children.

For the last 25 years, SWSW has been on a mission to improve access to music and other creative arts for young people within the South West, and this was continued recently when Toscana Strings and Laura Tye, delivered dynamic, interactive concerts blending music, storytelling, and dance to over 1,500 children.

The workshops, designed to introduce children to the string family, such as the violin, viola, cello and double bass, and the art of dance, saw students learning mimes and dance moves to participate actively in the performances.

In addition to these concerts and fundraising for music therapy in schools, SWSW offers a free instrument loan scheme.

The charity have a wide range of instruments available to loan, completely free of charge, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to start their musical journey.

Sam Kendrick, from Sound Waves South West has praised recent performances and says that the charity is hopeful that they’re just the beginning for these young people’s musical journey.

She said: “We’re thrilled to bring such high-calibre artists into classrooms.

“These concerts aren’t just entertainment; they’re a gateway for children to explore music, movement and their own creativity in a joyful, inclusive space. And with our instrument loan scheme, we hope to remove any barriers - especially financial, to further musical exploration.”