A TALENTED dancer from Helensburgh has moved one step closer to achieving her dream career after landing a place at a top training school in England.

Laura Dougan, 19, is celebrating earning a spot on the full-time Higher National Diploma (HND) in performing arts course at Addict Dance Academy in Leicester following a successful audition earlier this month.

The former Hermitage Academy pupil will move south of the border in time for her new course starting in September and she says she can’t wait to get started.

Laura said: “I am absolutely over the moon to have been offered a place!

“I’ve followed the successes of the college for some time and I’m beyond excited to be a student there starting this year.

“I decided to attempt to make dance my career when I started studying at Dance Studio Scotland last August on a full-time course.

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“I’ve worked really hard in the lead up to my audition down south by taking extra classes on the side of college working towards my goal, always striving and pushing myself to improve.

“I travelled down there not knowing what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter two days after my audition offering me a place.

“Excited doesn’t even come close to how I feel about it, however of course I am nervous and apprehensive too as I have to move away from home for the first time.

“My family, friends and teachers are all over the moon for me chasing my dreams and I hope to continue to make them proud.”

Laura has been dancing since she was two-years-old, spending most of her years at Dancefit in Helensburgh.

And she said she owes much of her success to the dedication of her tutors back home.

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She added: “A big thank you has to go to Donna Martin at Dancefit and Hayleigh Gorman at Ace Tribe Dance Company for all the opportunities, also to my family and friends for their continued support.

“I’ve been working closely with Ace Tribe Dance Company doing gigs and having intense training sessions.

“Being a part of this really pushed me to apply for Addict as I had an insight of what life could be like being a professional dancer, which made me want it more.

“I will be intensely training in many styles every day including commercial dance, jazz dance, ballet and tap, and the list goes on.

“This will hopefully guide me on my route to doing what I love and dancing as a career.”