A PROMISING young cornet player from the Forest has been awarded £1,000 by a local charity to help him further his musical ambitions.

Connor Edwards, aged 15 and a member of the AW Parker Drybrook Band, was presented with the Forest Singers Bursary for 2023 by Coleford Mayor Nick Penny recently.

The bursary is the brain child of mixed community choir Forest Singers, which was launched by Anita Chaloner in 2017.

Established in 2020, the bursary now has charitable status and is awarded to musicians of any age or genre to further their musical ambitions.

Connor, who is in Year 10 at John Kyrle High School, has “a real passion” for brass and and aims to go on to study A level Music and ultimately a Music Degree at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Bursary treasurer David Chaloner says Connor has been playing the cornet since he was 10, and his ability has “rapidly increased” over the years.

After joining Bream Training Band at primary school, he progressed to the main band before being invited to join first section band Drybrook in 2022, where he currently plays Second Cornet One.

He was part of the band’s recent success at Gloucestershire Brass Band Association Contest, where they gained eight awards.

The bursary win will see Connor perform at the Forest Singers Annual Concert on May 13 at Coleford Baptist Church.