A TALENTED young violinist from Worcester has been accepted to play in the acclaimed National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain.

Twelve-year-old Dayna Townsend has only been playing the fiddle for four years but is already working towards her grade 8 exam. She has beaten stiff competition from hundreds of violinists across the country to win a place in the orchestra for the second year running.

The Nunnery Wood High School student, from Hyacinth Close in St Peter's, wowed judges with her rendition of Bach's double violin concerto and Meditation by Massenet, both highly technical pieces. The orchestra meets over the Easter and summer holidays and perform a two day concert at Christmas.

Miss Townsend wanted to play the violin when she saw how well her sister Jessica, who also played in the NCO, was doing. Their mother Sharon Townsend said: "To have one is amazing, but to have two, who could have thought it?

"We are delighted, it is a lot of work for us running her backwards and forwards. But it will encourage her and they are playing at a really high level so they have a chance to improve and meet like minded individuals."