COME September Ann-Marie White will celebrating 20 years since she took over a Stagecoach Theatre School.

The former Kirkbie Kendal School student graduated from St Martin’s at Lancaster with a first class honours degree in the performing arts, went on to gain her PGCE, then soon after took over the Lancaster branch of Stagecoach. At the time she was the youngest ever principal of a Stagecoach school, which these days operates the largest network of part-time performing arts schools in the UK with almost 600 centres and a further 75 overseas; it has 40,000 students worldwide.

After a year at the helm of the Lancaster school, Ann-Marie saw the need for a theatre school in her home town that offered high quality dance, drama and singing classes under one roof.

So, in 1998 she fulfilled that ambition and opened her second school - in Kendal.

After two decades of running two Stagecoach schools, Ann-Marie is one of the region's most highly regarded performing arts teachers and is expanding by launching a brand new Saturday morning school, on January 14, running from 10am-1pm for children aged six-16 at Kendal Town Hall.

“Our new school will give more children and young people the opportunity to try our classes, which are uniquely designed to give children confidence and courage for life," explains Ann-Marie. "We now have past students returning with their young children. We're like one big family.

“Stagecoach is a fantastic business to be in and I'm so proud to have spent 20 years watching our young people gain creative courage and set themselves up for life. As I see school budgets suffering and academic provision moving away from the arts, I'm glad that we can offer theatre training to fill that gap.

"It is really important that children have the chance to develop their confidence and self-belief, grow friendships, learn how to work in a team, develop resilience, and think creatively; drama, acting and singing are brilliant ways to do all of that." The theatre school puts on regular shows at Kendal Town Hall, The Box at Kendal College and the Lancaster Grand Theatre and students have performed at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, the National Indoor Arena and the Royal Albert Hall. It also offers its students the opportunity to take examinations with LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) and Rockschool Performance Arts Awards.

This year Ann-Marie and her highly regarded team - which includes singing teacher Hannah Fleming - will take a choir of children to perform at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London.

Additionally, Ann-Marie founded The Lakes Choir in January 2012, which is made up of 45 students aged between 9-18 from Stagecoach schools in Lancaster, Kendal, Carlisle and Cockermouth.

Choral director is Hannah Fleming with accompanist Terry Fleming.

For further information telephone Ann-Marie on 01539-730849 or email kendal@stagecoach.co.uk.