Stagecoach

Vicky Bilton of Yarm Further Stages, Early Stages Helper, website Queen, STARE Dance Captain, office administrator and “all-round good egg” finally leaves me on Tuesday to head to London to take up her place at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

I am sure that you will join with me in wishing Vicky all the very best in the pursuit of her career.  The students and parents of Yarm Morning school saw me present a special award to Vicky on the last day of term because of the extraordinary contribution she has made to the life of Stagecoach in the five years that she has been here. No other student has ever had such a varied impact. 

For the sake of those students and parents who were not there to hear what I had to say, I will paraphrase it here:-

Vicky has been a leader within her Further Stages group, holding them together, chivvying them on, watching out for them. It was because she was enthusiastic about the formation of the group that we were encouraged to start it in the first place.

She showed the same enthusiasm and commitment when we started an unpaid helper scheme for Early Stages. It was because of this selflessness that she was the first person we offered the paid job to when helpers became employed.

Her leadership skills made her a natural choice as Dance Captain of STARE (our regional entertainment troupe) and she has performed all over the region, loyally, to benefit many charities across five years. She even appeared singing with STARE at my daughter`s wedding. Even at the last minute, she will perform with STARE for the last time at Auckland Castle on Tuesday before jumping on her train to London an hour later.  Vicky is the one who choreographed the Locomotion for our Guinness World Record attempt last weekend. She is a great supporter and ambassador of Stagecoach at all times.

After I suddenly lost Gill, my admin help, last summer, Vicky agreed that during her year out, this year, she would work with me, in my home, on the administration that keeps this Stagecoach jugernaut moving. I,and you,would have been lost without her.  The website has to a large extent been built up by her and she has educated me in I.T.

Vicky has been good company and we have had many laughs on this helter skelter of a year that saw her spirits rise and fall as she faced rejection from some of the drama schools she applied to. HOWEVER, I am delighted that Vicky was offered a place by her favourite school.

Whilst Vicky remains positive, there is a worry. She was offered a place on the three year training course but was unable to take it up because she did not get any funding through a government DADA. Instead,she is doing the one year intensive course and hoping to find some funding to extend into the three year course next year. She will be looking for a job in London to help with this so her hard working life style will continue.

IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY CHARITABLE TRUSTS, OR FIRMS WHO SPONSOR STUDENTS FOR COURSES LIKE THIS, WILL YOU RING ME ON 01325 337667. THANKS

Thank you for everything you have contributed to Stagecoach Yarm and Darlington Vicky. Goodbye from us all. Your goodbye videos were very touching and `poignant` - and no- we won`t forget you. I`m sure you`ll be back in the holidays!

This entry was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 12:20 am and is filed under Vix (Admin), News, Parents, Vix Bilton. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.