Woman rediscovered ability to play violin at 84

A woman who gave up playing the violin as a teenager because her school banned pop music was "amazed" to find she could still play the instrument nearly eight decades later.

Audrey Smith, 92, said: "When you're 13 or 14, you want to play pop, jazz and folk and all that sort of thing. So of course I lost interest as soon as I left school, I didn't touch it again."

But at 84, she became curious to know if she would still be able to play, so bought a violin and picked it up again straight away, saying: "It's like riding a bike."

Now, Audrey is a popular member of the Silver Strings, a group of over-50s who play together in Brighton and regularly hold concerts.

"I was in the school orchestra but I didn't practise very much. We played classical music and said we mustn't play pop, or anything like that," she said.

"I came back to it about eight years ago, I suddenly thought 'I wonder if I could still play the violin', and I acquired one and I could still play. I was amazed."

And the good news is, she is finally allowed to play some pop songs and has gone on to become a beloved member of the group.

Bela Emerson, founder of Brighton and Hove Music for Connection, which runs Silver Strings, said: "When Audrey joined, her attitude to developing her skills was an inspiration.

"We don't have many people of her age; she has a very positive outlook. She never complains, she doesn't let anything stop her.

"She once said that coming to the sessions, she experiences the world in a new way. I just thought, 'wow'."

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