Two students have fended off national competition to become the latest members of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

Noah and Jess, from Dowdales School in Dalton, will be joining the Youth Advisory Board (YAB), which advocates for younger voices in the RSC and the wider arts movement.

The YAB began in 2019 as a group of young people who were passionate about the arts, and who wanted to make young voices heard in support of the arts, especially in order to promote the importance of creativity across the country.

Headteacher Emma Jane Aubrey said: "Applications were open to all students nationally and we are so proud that two of our students were successful in their applications.

"They will now work with the RSC to make sure that the arts will continue to thrive."

The young people on the YAB are a diverse group of ages, genders, and ethnicities from the Associate Schools Programme.

One of their main aims is to make sure everyone’s voices are heard and acted upon, no matter who they are.

They want to make a change in the world we are living in today, believing that arts can be the key in doing exactly that.

The RSC has been running since 1961 after being founded by Peter Hall, and works now to ensure that 'Shakespeare is for everyone, unlocking the power of his plays and live performance'.

Speaking about Noah and Jess, the school added: "They are both extremely passionate about Arts Education and are fully involved in our extra-curricular arts programme here at Dowdales.

"They recently attended their first residential in Stratford-Upon-Avon where they met with current and new members of YAB and worked with RSC practitioners addressing universal themes and issues that young people are passionate about.

"We are looking forward to following their journey and seeing the impact their voice has in changing the lives of young people today."