WHEN music teacher Mandy Butterworth first admired from afar the former vicarage on Victoria Road, St Annes, little did she know that within a few years she would have converted it into her own school.

Today, after 16 months of "blood, sweat and tears," her dream of seeing the St Annes School of Music, Drama and Dance completed has finally come true.

In the past year since the school began taking in pupils, teachers have been working against a background noise of drills and mess.

Thankfully, the hammers and drills will finally be placed back in their toolboxes ready for an open day on Saturday.

"I can't believe it's finished," said Mandy, who started teaching when she was just 13 at the old St Annes School of Music run by Joan Aspden, to whom the new school is dedicated.

"I had always planned to set up a music school and remember seeing the vicarage a few years ago.

"It was going to be knocked down and replaced with flats which I was pretty upset about. Then it was put up for tenure and we made a bid for it. I suppose we saved it from demolition."

To turn it into the school Mandy had in mind, the whole place had to be gutted and each room refurbished.

"It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears," said Mandy, "and at times it seemed we would never get it finished."

The school now boasts seven teaching rooms and a superb dance studio.

As well as dancing the school offers tuition and examinations in most instruments and singing.

To find out more, pay a visit on Saturday between 2 and 4pm or call the school on 724120.

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