At the age of 14 I was offered a place at the Italia Conti Academy of theatre arts in London. It was my dream to study performing arts for as long as I can remember. My sister Erica was also offered a place at Red roof theatre arts school in Maidenhead the same year. As we grew up on the Isle of Bute, small islands on the west coast of Scotland, there were not that many opportunities to study in this field. It was obviously going to be a big expense and strain on my parents to fund both Erica and I’s school fees not to mention the price of accommodation and living expenses in London if we were to move. If it hadn’t been for the help we received from The Mark Lindgren memorial fund, my sister and I would never have been able to follow our ambitions. Since graduating in 2004 I have enjoyed success in TV, theatre and film. From playing Hope Harcourt in the UK tour of 'Anything Goes', Venus Houston in the CBBC series 'MI High', Patricia in 'Letters to Juliet' to my most well known role of Ali in 'Mamma Mia!' the movie. I know that If it hadn't been for such generous donations from charities like the Mark Lindgren memorial fund it just would not have been possible for me to fulfil my dream of performing and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all involved so very much.