THANKS to the generosity of sponsors, aspiring ballet star, Jerome Banks will be pirouetting his way to France after receiving a cheque for £250 from NatWest Bank. Jerome, 9, a pupil of Haslemere Performing Arts (HPA) is travelling to Disnelyland, Paris where he will represent the UK in the Fantasy Festival. Nadia Alleyne, Jerome's mother said: "I would like to thank the staff at Natwest and all the people who sponsored Jerome to make his dream come true and send him to Paris on July 31. The money has paid for his costume hire and accommodation." Jerome was presented with his cheque when donations flooded in after Haslemere's NatWest Bank displayed a series of photographs in their windows during the first week of March. Steve Grigg, Manager of Haslemere's NatWest Bank, said: "We wanted to support a local event and contribute something back to the commmunity." Bank staff also held sponsored events during the week, including 'Dress Down Day', the raffling of NatWest piggy banks and 'Guess the Name of the Rabbit'. "We also support Comic Relief, Children in Need and Sports Relief. As a whole, NatWest is always keen to support major disasters such as the Tsunami," added Mr Grigg. Jerome's love of ballet started when he attended HPA for the first time around 18 months ago. And because of his newly discovered passion for ballet, Jerome is due to audition with London's Royal Ballet School in the next couple of months. "I really like Carlos Acosta, he is my idol," said Jerome, when asked to name his favourite ballet dancer. HPA is staging a production of the musical Bugsy Malone at the Haslemere Hall this June. If anyone would like to make a donation towards the buying or making of costumes, please contact Mrs Cantan at HPA on 01428 652360.
