A PROMISING young cornet player has been awarded £1,000 by a local charity..

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 in Ross, has “a real passion” for brass .

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..

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.