KATHERINE LAURENS, three, and 11 other toddlers took their first steps as ballet dancers at a beginners class held in Marston yesterday.

The 10 girls and two boys showed off their twinkle toes with numbers including Teddy Bears’ Picnic, Rosie and Jim and Angelina Ballerina and Good Toes, Naughty Toes’ during the class at New Marston Pastoral Centre in Jack Straw’s Lane. The classes are run by the Kirsty Forbes School of Dance.

Miss Forbes, who also runs stage schools in Wantage and Didcot, said: “It’s a good form of exercise for children and helps build up their fragile muscles.

“It’s really fun and it’s good for confidence-building.”