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Bryanston pupils raise funds for the Cupola Project

Bryanston Music and Drama Departments teamed up on Thursday 27 November to raise funds for the Cupola Project, looking to  regenerate Blandford parish church.

Alma Orr-Ewing played a viola solo and Harry Ellison-Wright performed a cello solo either side of Junior Drama Society D pupils Frankie Weatherby, Molly Wates, Francesca Grazebrook, Piers Birmingham, Ethan Cade, Poppy Bayer, Lauren Roe and Catherine Smith, who performed a 15 minute selection of scenes from Robert Westall's classic novel for children, The Machine Gunners. Adapted for the stage by Ali Taylor, the play captures the irrepressible energy of school children during the Blitz, seeking the ultimate war trophy from foraging on bomb sites, and pursuing their own naive patriotism through building a war fort to deflect an expected German invasion.

Helen Cooper, in charge of liaising with Bryanston for the lunchtime performance wrote: 'Harry and Alma were amazing, their choice of music, so beautifully played, was pitched exactly right for a lunchtime concert and Jane's troupe of young actors thoroughly engaged us. Once again Bryanston has raised the bar. Please pass on our thanks to these young performers and perhaps they would be pleased to know that they raised £296, every penny of which will go to the restoration of the cupola.

There was another aspect to yesterday's performance, quite apart from the fundraising. The concerts, and in fact the Regeneration Project as a whole, not only help raise money to accomplish much needed repairs to heritage buildings in the town, but in themselves help to bring people together and make the community stronger. Your concert yesterday contributed to this goal. Thank you once again. We loved it.'