Calne drama teacher says goodbye to three of her first students

Eighteen-year-olds Jay Wright, Joseph Hayes and nineteen-year-old Will Haywood surprised their teacher Rosalind Patterson in her home on Friday to say thank you for nearly 13 years of acting guidance.

She said: "I am going to miss them because along the way we have done plays and productions and local festivals and they have always excelled in all the characters they have played. The boys are lovely to work with and it has been so much fun.

"We have had other boys but not all of them stayed on for their finals but these three started and ended here. They were a bit naughty at times but they grew up, stuck with it and this is the result."

The boys, who are looking to move onto the next stage of their lives, were awarded high extinction marks for the LAMDA Grade 8 - Gold Medal examination in Acting, which is the highest attainable grade. Mr Wright achieved 92 marks, while Joseph Hayes and Will Haywood were awarded 89 and 88 marks respectively.

"Grade eight is the final award and they have gone up all the grades and come out with some fantastic results," Ms Patterson said. "I am very proud of them and to finish like that is fantastic. You need to get more than 80 marks for a distinction and they all got above that so that was great.

"It was lovely that they bought me flowers and written letters and it is nice to know that we all appreciate each other. You don't lose memories like that because you always remember and they have all developed into confident young people and excellent actors."

The principal of Calne Speech and Drama School, who is now planning the next play for her current pupils to perform in, believes that acting plays a key role in a child's life.

She said: "The self assurance and self confidence children get from working with other children through drama works and they also learn to understand the different personalities of others and I think it is essential for a childs development."