Former Royal harpist Catrin Finch has urged Ceredigion County Council to reconsider plans to slash the county’s music service budget by over two-thirds.

The Llanon-born musician, pictured, said she would have been unable to pursue the career that has made her world-famous without the financial help she received as a young schoolgirl.

“When I bought my first harp at the age of 10, Ceredigion contributed as my parents were simply unable to afford it,” the 38-year-old mother-of-two told the Cambrian News.

“My first teacher was Delyth Evans, a peripatetic music teacher in Aberystwyth. The schools I went to – Llanon primary and Aberaeron secondary – were also extremely supportive.

“But the harp, my particular instrument of choice, was not cheap – it wasn’t then and it isn’t now.

“So if the 10-year-old Catrin Finch was starting out today, it would have been much more difficult for her to go down the particular path I have been lucky enough to follow.

“My biggest fear is that opportunities for young people are being taken away.

“And I feel very strongly that, with the National Eisteddfod in Tregaron just around the corner, Ceredigion County Council should be looking to actually invest in the arts – even if it’s just for the next couple of years.”

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