Legacy of dancer is to help others to succeed
Fund ensuring talent of the less well off is nurtured
SHE was a star dance pupil who had a bright future in the entertainment nt business.
But Emma Newton’s life was tragiically cut short when she was killed by a toppling tree in high winds.
The 18-year-old died when the tree e struck her car on a narrow road in n Corbridge, Northumberland, in n 2011.
Emma had planned to study performing arts at college and her talents had already earned her a place on a course at Dance City in Newcastle.
Last week, her heartbroken family celebrated what would have been her 25th birthday with some of Emma’s closest friends.
Dad Robbie, 49, said: “She was a fantastic all-round performer and a great dancer, and could have gone on to do fantastic things.
“I remember watching her dancing at shows and the other parents telling me how talented she was. She was a great dancer and singer; she had it all.
“They say it gets easier but if you ask anyone who has lost a child, it doesn’t. You try to learn to live with it but it never gets easier.”
Determined to keep their daughter’s memory alive, Robbie and his wife Peggy set up the Emma Newton Fund in the summer of 2011.
The project gives young people in the North East opportunities in the performing arts, helping them achieve their dreams, which Emma shared.
The fund is managed by the Community Foundation in Tyne and Wear and Northumberland and currently stands at more than £100,000. It has awarded 52 grants to talented youngsters across the region.
Robbie, of Lowgate, near Hexham, s a i d : “We’re really proud that it is helping so many people who are struggling because going to things like dance schools can be expensive.
“The fund has really helped me and my wife Peggy and we know the money is going to good places, which is what we want.
“She would have loved to have a fund named after her and when we get people applying who know her name, that means a lot to us.”
Ellie Turner of the Community Foundation, said Emma has left an “incredible legacy” behind.
“Emma’s family, friends and community continue to grow this fund for future generations of talent,” she said.
“We see from the applications we receive that the costs associated with the performing arts can be a real barrier and this means that talent can’t always be nurtured. This fund awards grants at the right time in carefully considered amounts.
The fund’s web address is www. emmanewtonfund.com. Emma’s funeral took place at Hexham Abbey, with sunflowers in abundance