Fifteen-year-old Writhlington School student, Leo Horler, from Coleford, needs your help to realise his dreams after gaining a place at the prestigious Bird College of Performance and Dance in Kent.

Leo has been dancing and performing since the age of four, with his main focus on ballet, tap and contemporary dance. He trains with Swindon Dance and the Swindon Youth Dance Company every day after school and at weekends, as well as working with the Bristol Russian Ballet School, performing with a variety of local groups and managing to keep on top of his school work.

He has now been accepted at Bird College of Performance and Dance with the offer of DADA, which funds a percentage of the costs, but will need extra help to cover his fees and allow him to live near the college. Leo and his family have set up a gofundme page and are appealing to the community to help him on his way to achieve his dream.

Speaking on the page, Leo said: “As I will only be sixteen, I am not eligible to receive an educational loan that I need to live away from home and fully cover my educational fees. I will have to find someone to stay with, rent accommodation for three years and financially cover the cost of dance kit and compulsory educational trips. The rent for the first year, I have been told, is £150 per week and dance kit approximately £350 a year.

“I will also have to cover dance insurance for injury and approximately £2,000 to help cover the course each year.”

The page has a target amount of £10,000 but donations, big or small are appreciated. He said: “During my time with the Ballet School, I have performed in several productions, including Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and The Nutcracker at the Playhouse Theatre, Weston-super-Mare.

“Previously, I have performed with The English Youth Ballet in Giselle, Coppelia and Sleeping Beauty. I have also performed with SYDCO and B&NES Youth Dance Company at U Dance South West and in The Deluge with Lila Dance Company. In the summer holidays, I have trained at Central Ballet, Italia Conti, Hammond, Tring and RAD. In 2013, I attended The Hammond School in Chester, on the associate programme. I trained on Sundays every month and have gained full-time places at the school three times, but was unable to obtain funding.

“In 2014, I was privileged to have danced in Mathew Bourne’s Lord of the Flies in Cardiff, after gaining a place in the cast from an audition of 400 boys. This was a very big turning point for me, and my decision to really get serious with dance and performance. Locally, I have been training in musical theatre and performed in Les Misérables, Oliver and Spamalot. More recently, I undertook the role of Tyrone in a school production of Fame and performed at the Bristol Hippodrome with The Big Act in Fame: The 48hr Challenge as an ensemble dancer. A more recent performance in the Hippodrome was as a member of the ensemble in Ellen Kent’s Opera Aida.

“Upcoming performances include; The Big Act for Singing in the Rain in April, performing and assisting in the dance direction. In June, I will be playing Mr Mistoffelees in Frome with the Spellbound Theatre group, which I am looking forward to and on spare Sundays, I help raise money for the Royal British Legion by going to events with the Wiltshire Home Guard reenactment group. As a member of the Home Guard, I help give talks and educate people about the role of the Home Guard in WWII.”

He said: “My reason for setting up the page is to help me realise my dream after dedicating my life so far to my passion for the performing arts. I hope to begin the course in September and I need to pay the first term fees prior to this (July). As I am currently undertaking my GCSEs and dance exams in the next two months, the pressure to find funding is rather high.

“I really hope that there are some kind people who really love performance and the theatre, that can help me to be part of a performance that they enjoy in the future. I have trained through evenings, weekends and holidays and many of my teachers/choreographers are really pleased that Bird College have given me a place. Hopefully, I will be able to finally train full-time and progress to the next steps in my career.”

To keep up with Leo’s fundraising and to donate, visit: www.gofundme.com/leos-fund