Our daughter Georgina (ten) has successfully auditioned to join the National Youth Ballet for the fourth year in a row.

She has danced as a member of the company at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, The Coliseum and Sadler's Wells Theatre in London.

Unlike most other national youth organisations, the NYB auditions from scratch every year.

Georgina attends dance classes at least twice a week at The Rennie Dance Academy, Uckfield. She also attends summer schools and workshops, takes piano and cello lessons and has taught herself to play the flute.

The rest of the family is also busy. Georgina's sister, Charlotte (13), has recently won an art scholarship to Burgess Hill Schools for Girls from September 2001 and also dances (now studying for grade seven) and takes music lessons.

Her brother (12) swims and wins for his school (Cottesmore) and Crawley Swimming Club and has attended training sessions with Sussex County.

All this does not detract from their school studies. The physical exercise and necessary self-discipline in these activities are beneficial to their school work and produce more "get up and go".

We, of course, do most of the chauffeuring to these activities, on top of holding down a demanding job in the City and building up a business at Denniker Nursery in Fletching.

"Nurturing the young to bloom would seem to be of our talents", it has been said.

-Anna and Alan Bell Fletching, Uckfield