Edinburgh's oldest dance school has warned they may not survive until their 50th birthday due to the impacts of lockdown.
The Manor School of Ballet was established in 1972 and has seen hundreds of children and young people pass through their doors over the years.
However, those doors may now close for good after the school announced projected costs and a loss in pupil numbers could "seal their fate".
At present staff have been unable to open any of the main branches of the school, which operates in Edinburgh and Galashiels, with most classes currently taking place online and only a few in person.
With theatre and performing arts one of the last industries that will reopen after the pandemic, the Manor School have issued concerns they may not make it to their 50th birthday celebrations in 2022.
In a statement, they said:
"For the past 48 years, The Manor School of Ballet has been committed to providing the highest possible standards of training in performing arts throughout Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders.
"Our passionate team are now equally committed in doing whatever they possibly can to save Edinburgh's oldest dance school and go beyond its 50th anniversary.
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"We are aware that the anticipated government guidance and safety procedures will inevitably require us to make further sacrifices to the number of pupils that we can effectively teach and the projected overheads and running costs which are going to be necessary to ensure we can operate safely, potentially could seal our fate in this new world where our normal avenues of income and traditional fundraising have been devastated."
As many pupils have decided to leave the school due to a lack of classes, the school have chosen to launch a fundraising page in the hope both past and present pupils will be able to keep them afloat.
With a £20,000 goal, staff have stated they hope to secure enough funding in a time when their normal avenues of income have been "devastated."
To find out more information or to donate to the Manor School of Ballet's Go Fund Me page you can follow the link here.
