REHEARSALS are under way for the ninth Festival of Music promoted by the Rotary Club of Royston. Under the banner Youth Makes Music the event will take place in the West Road Concert Hall of the University of Cambridge next Friday evening. (March 10

REHEARSALS are under way for the ninth Festival of Music promoted by the Rotary Club of Royston. Under the banner - Youth Makes Music - the event will take place in the West Road Concert Hall of the University of Cambridge next Friday evening. (March 10). This year, Youth Makes Music has been helped with a £600 donation from the Saffron Walden, Herts and Essex Building Society. The brainchild of Rotarian Ken Charles, Youth Makes Music seeks to give children from Royston schools the opportunity to perform before a live audience - and to inspire young children to develop their musical talents. Mr Charles said "a great example of our success" is Alison Balsom, who took to playing the trumpet while attending Tannery Drift, Greneway and Meridian Schools and is now an outstanding international concert soloist. "We give all the 250 children the chance of a unique experience of performing in a first-class concert environment," he said. Such an ambitious event needs significant sponsorship and this year, as well as the Saffron Walden, Herts and Essex Building Society, the Rotary Club has had support from Ken Stevens music shop in Cambridge, the Deards Royston Rotary Trust and the Royston Community Chest. Mr Charles added that the event was possible, too, due to "the dedication of a committed corps of music teachers" from the participating schools - Tannery Drift First, Greneway, Meridian and Roysia Middle Schools.