MAKING music is a skill that can take years to perfect, but for a student celebrating the release of his first collection, it comes naturally.

And that is all the more remarkable because 18-year-old James Butcher is blind.

A student at Henshaws College, in Harrogate, he has finished recording his first CD, called Sorrows Away.

It features James and his music teacher, Catherine Golding, playing classic folk favourites.

James, who is in his second year at Henshaws, has had a keen interest in music since he was nine, when he taught himself to play the piano. He now also plays the accordion, and is adept on drums, too.

"My dream is to go into a studio and record, and I am hoping to send Sorrows Away to a few record companies," he said.

"I don't think that I have a disability - I see it as an ability. I might hear some singing when I'm in town, and I'll say to my mum, dad or brother, 'What's that music?' And they will tell me there is no music - then, 200 metres down the road, there it is."

James, who also has curvature of the spine, said that his time at Henshaws had spurred him on to greater things.

The college is the only facility in the country to provide independent living skills training for visually impaired young people who have additional disabilities, including epilepsy, autism and cerebral palsy.

Proceeds from the sale of Sorrows Away will go towards the cost of James' music lessons. To buy a copy, contact the college on (01423) 886451.