Dancers set off to performing arts schools thanks to Chloe and Liam Trust

Alice Burke, Anya Hewett and Eleni Maxwell, all aged 11, and 18-year-old Faye Almond have all been given a helping hand to take the next step towards achieving their dream careers.

Each one has received a bursary from the Chloe and Liam Trust - created as a lasting legacy to Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry, who were killed in the Manchester Arena bomb attack, last May - to support them on their journeys.

The group were one of a number of young performers and sportspeople to receive funding from the charity which this rounds gave out £50,000 in grants.

Jarrow schoolgirl Eleni Maxwell will be heading off to The Hammond in September, where she hopes to pursue her dream of becoming a ballerina. Eleni is a student at Mrs Burdon’s Ballet School and Swan Kenney Theatre Works in Gateshead.

Her mum Julie Cunningham said: “She has set her heart on becoming a ballerina. But getting funding for young children is quite difficult.

“She has been doing ballet since she was three and loves classical ballet and classical dance.

“Eleni has travelled the country taking part in associate dance programmes, so to be in one place will be so much better for her.

“For an 11-year-old she is very focused.

“The funding from the Chloe and Liam Trust is fantastic and will help Eleni a lot.”

Alice Burke, from Durham, a student with The Polka School of Dance, has been dancing since the age of three.

The 11-year-old will also head off to The Hammond where she will study dance.

Her mum Eleanor Laughlin said: “She has been saying for the past three years when she grows up she wants to be a dancer.

“The bursary has been a great help to us and to Alice. We can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Anya Hewett, 11, from Middlesborough, who was successful in gaining a part scholarship for the Sylvia Young School, also received a bursary to help cover tuition fees.

Her mum Naomi said: “She has been dancing since she was three years old. But she didn’t just want to do just dance which is why we chose the Sylvia Young school.

“She loves performing and being part of shows. She has already performed in School of Rock.

“The money the Trust has given to Anya has helped to take the pressure off, if she hadn’t have received the part scholarship and the bursary from the Trust we probably wouldn’t have been in a position to let her go. It has given us a little bit of leeway to find the money needed for her remaining years.”

Meanwhile, teenager, Faye Almond, 18, from Sunderland, will be heading off to Performers College in Essex where she will study a foundation course in Musical Theatre, ahead of a three-year degree.

She said: “It was very generous of the Trust to grant me a bursary. I remember when they rang me to let me know I had been successful and I was ecstatic.

“It really was the difference between me being able to go and not being able to go and pursue my dream.

“I’m really excited about going.”

The Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust was created to help young performers and sportspeople, through the use of bursaries, to further nurture their talents.

Chloe was an aspiring performer while Liam was a gifted cricketer and it is hoped their drive and ambition in their chosen talents will encourage others to follow their dreams - something the couple were robbed from achieving.

For information on the charity visit Chloe & Liam Together Forever Trust on Facebook.