A TEENAGE dancer will be able to make more of her talents thanks to a grant from Richmondshire District Council.

Laura Sayer, from Brompton-on-Swale, has recently been accepted as an associate member of the Urdang Academy based in London's Covent Garden.

The 15-year-old, who has been dancing since she was four, will attend three day-long sessions per term for classes in various disciplin- es.

Her £100 award from the council's grant scheme will go towards her travel costs.

Community leisure officer Hilary Conway said: "Laura's commitment to dancing has paid off with her acceptance into the academy and we are delighted to be able to support her."

Laura is a pupil at St Francis Xavier School in Richmond and attends Richmond Dance Centre in Scorton.

She was recently placed runner-up in the ballet section of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing National Scholarship Awards. She hopes to move on to dance school after taking her GCSEs next year.

She said: "My long-term ambition is to be a ballet dancer and I would love to go to a professional dance school. Attending the sessions at the Urdang Academy will help me to achieve that."