A BELSTONE man has appealed for help to enable his 11-year-old daughter to follow her dream of becoming a ballet dancer.

Alan Biggs? daughter Mara has been awarded a place at the prestigious The Arts Educational School at Tring to study ballet, but she will need financial assistance to meet the annual £19,000 school fees.

Eleven-year-old Mara travelled to the school and reached the final audition for a national dance scholarship to cover the fees, but narrowly missed out.

Mr Biggs says next year Mara hopes to try again for a scholarship and he believes she would stand a better chance of a scholarship after a year within the school.

Mr Biggs is a sculptor, and has been commissioned to create a sculpture for the entrance of Okehampton Community Hospital.

Both Mara?s parents are self-employed with a flexible income, her mother is a music teacher, and Mara has been playing music and dancing from three years of age.

?She?s never wanted to do anything else. She is a very talented girl, and her dancing is so expressive. We just hope we can get her through the first term and hopefully she will be able to get a scholarship for next year,? Mr Biggs said.

He said Mara has shown great promise as a dancer and has already won sections in classical dance, choreography and character dance at festivals at Barnstaple, Exeter and Paignton.

Since April, the family had been looking for funding from a number of charitable trusts and funds to help their daughter.

But apart from £750 from the Belstone and Sticklepath Trust, they have so far only been offered £100 for uniform from the Devon Educational Trust.

The latest setback came last week; the Biggs had been pinning their hopes on a major contribution from Devon County Council, but the authority last week confirmed they were only able to offer £2,700 towards costs.

Mr Biggs said he had been hopeful the county council would be able to offer substantial support, especially as they had required Mara to do a special audition for them, which they seemed very impressed by.

The Arts Educational School at Tring near Aylesbury in Hertfordshire is one of only five specialist residential ballet schools in the country, of which the Royal Ballet is the best known.

However, Mr Biggs said having visited Tring with Mara, it was clear the school had most to offer her.

?It was our number one choice of school because it has a very high standard in music in drama as well as dancing, and has a much broader education.

? It?s important to have a second string if for some reason, ballet does not work out,? he said.

The school specialises in the education of those aiming for a career in the performing arts and counts many stars of stage and screen amongst its former pupils.

The independent school is housed in a former Rothschild Mansion, originally built by Sir Christopher Wren.

Mr Biggs is appealing for anyone who can help or knows of a source of funding that might be available to help his daughter take up her place on the exclusive course. Anyone who can help is asked to contact him on 01837 840246.