A HIGH school is bidding to be the first in East Lancashire to be a centre of excellence for performing arts.

Haslingden High School already offers students drama as a GCSE option and A-level performing arts and music and is looking to expand into offering dance as a study course.

Head of expressive arts, Gill Rennard, said: "We are hoping this will have quite an impact on Rossendale and raise awareness of arts and community involvement.

"We are putting together a school development plan, a community development plan and trying to raise £50,000 in sponsorship which in turn will attract £100,000 from the Government and a further £120,000 for the next four years.

"We feel that we are already a centre of excellence with the A-levels and GCSEs that we offer. We will also be looking to employ a dance teacher and do a lot of extra-curricular activities."

The school performs a musical each year and next month students will stage Carousel. Over the last few years they have staged West Side Story, Sweet Charity and Hello Dolly and straight plays.

Each year an expressive arts evening sees 100 children take to the stage to perform a medley of music and dance.

The school has to submit its bid by next June and already Helmshore firm Musbury Fabrics has agreed to back the school with £1,000.

After half-term the school will be holding an evening especially for local businesses to explain what the bid is all about, hopefully show a video of the performing arts work in school and get pledges of donations.

If successful, the school will have to spend a third of the allocated money on improving community links and Gill said this would be achieved by encouraging drama groups to come into school to use the facilities and bringing professionals into school to work with students and local people.

The school cemented links with primary school children who were invited in to take part in a serenade of music held in the summer. They will also be invited to see a performance of Carousel.

At Christmas the students will take a carol and musical concert out to local homes for the elderly and Rossendale Hospice.

There is only one other school in Lancashire with special performing arts status and it is in Blackpool, so Haslingden High has high hopes of putting Lancashire on the map!

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