MORE than 100 young people will be acting, singing and dancing with All Out Performing Arts at their summer school this year.

The team of arts practitioners will be bringing their creativity and experience to the Coronation Hall in Mary Tavy where the event is regularly staged.

All Out will be celebrating 15 years of summer schools in West Devon this year.

Julian Barnicoat, one of the All Out directors, said: 'When we first thought about a summer event all those years ago, it was intended to be a series of workshops for young people.

'But the first time it ran, we decided to use our combined skills to build a full-scale theatrical production in just one week and that was it — summer school was born.'

Julian and Suzanne Sanders are the co-founders of the company and they well remember the school's more humble beginnings.

'The night before we opened in 1994, we just sat there looking at the small number of applicants and arguing whether we could justify going ahead.'

But years on, summer school has grown and grown.

'We are always fully booked and realise that for a long time now, young people in the area have thought of the summer as summer school — it's an annual event for them and we are proud and delighted to think what we have achieved. We're glad we kept going.'

Suzanne added: 'Nowadays we just need people to remember that no matter how good summer school is, All Out is about a lot more.

'We are very busy right through the year, teaching the performing arts in schools and colleges, running other theatre groups and courses for young people in Tavistock and Callington.

'These courses are for anyone between 6 and 18 years of age. They can come and work with us right through the year, learn about the performing arts, create shows and take LAMDA exams in group performance. It's great fun and really worthwhile.'

Anyone wishing to find out more about All Out can visit their web site at http://www.alloutarts.co.uk">www.alloutarts.co.uk or ring 01579 351305.