PRIMARY school children in Great Cheverell will be able to continue with music lessons for the next three years after a company in Edington agreed to fund the scheme.

Holy Trinity Primary Academy in Great Cheverell have received a donation of £750 a year for the next three years from the Board of Edington Station Yard which will be used for every year three child to have a recorder lesson once a week.

The cheque was over to Holy Trinity on Friday afternoon as part of the school’s sharing assembly.

Headteacher Mercedes Henning said: “We are really delighted with this donation as it will enrich the children’s musical education which we believe is an important and integral part of a broad and balanced education.

“The 30 children in the combined Year three and four class will benefit from money.”

Previously the free lessons were paid for by the government as part of the Widening Opportunities initiative but this was cut in 2014 with the current school year paid for by the governors.

Private lessons would cost parents between £3 to £7 a week depending on the amount of students in the group.

Ms Henning said: “A year of recorder lessons allows the children to play and read simple music along with giving them the opportunity to perform.

“Governors funded this school year but would not have been able to continue this in the future so we are most grateful to the Board of Edington Station Yard for thinking of us and offering us this money

The money will also go towards paying for a musician to come in once a term to help the children with composition and performance of music.

Edington Yard director Bryan Mulligan-Scaife said: “We have always made donations to good causes and we decided as a committee that we would like to give money to schools as a different way to support local children.

“We wanted to do something to encourage young people to get more involved with music.”

The property investment company, which provides low cost accommodation to small businesses in Edington and the surrounding area, has also funded Bratton Primary School for the same period as both are the main schools for children from Edington.