A PUPIL at a Lydney dance school has won a place at one of Britain's top ballet school.

Charles Heanon, who attends the Allsteps Dance Academy, has been accepted into Elmhurst ballet school in Birmingham.

Eleven-year-old Charles of Aylburton said he cannot remember a time when he did not dance.

He said: "When I'm dancing it's as if I don't have a care in the world, like I'm completely free.

"I want to dance with the Royal Ballet when I'm older and I was over the moon to be accepted for Elmhurst."

He had to complete two auditions, including a piece he had not seen before, to get into the school which has close links with the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Charles, who has three sisters, is a junior associate of the Royal Ballet.

Head of Allsteps Dance Academy Miss Lisa Rafferty said she was delighted Charles had been offered a place.

Miss Raffery, who trained at the Royal Ballet School, said: "Charles is an extremely talented dancer and deserves his place. He has worked so hard to achieve this."

There was more good news for the Lydney school when it was announced that former pupil Gareth Haw had been awarded a place in the upper school of the Royal Ballet School in London.

Gareth started there when he was 11 but students are not guaranteed a place in the upper school which is open to competition from all over the world.