A talented 11-year-old from Haddenham is learning to play the flute from video lessons in her kitchen after her mum was taken ill.

Rosie Fox, who is a pupil at Witchford Village College, is being taught via new link-up project Connect run by Cambridgeshire Music.

Rosie learned to play the recorder and clarinet at primary school and was keen to carry on playing music at her new school.

But when her mum Katy was diagnosed with severe arthritis she couldn't always manage to drive her to lessons.

As a result, the family had to look for a tutor nearby, which turned out to be a challenge.

"We just couldn't find a teacher who could help," Katy said.

"Then we heard about the new Connect project through school. For me, it has completely taken the stress out of organising Rosie's music lessons."

Rosie decided to play the flute after being inspired by her dad, who plays in the City of Ely Military Band.

She is currently being taught by Cambridgeshire Music head of business development Julia Lent.

Her weekly lessons take place in the kitchen, where she logs into Connect's Skype-style video link interface using her mum's tablet.

Through Cambridgeshire Music's instrument loan scheme, she has also been able to borrow a flute to get started.

Rosie said: "The online lessons are great; it feels pretty much the same as doing it face-to-face and the only real difference is that sometimes you have to lean in towards the camera a bit."

Connect is one of the first of its kind in the UK, and is enabling school-age pupils who would otherwise struggle to access music lessons, to learn one-to-one with experienced tutors via a desktop, laptop or tablet computer.

"Cambridgeshire is a really diverse county and while getting to music lessons is often straightforward in urban areas, in rural communities it can be much trickier," Matthew Gunn, head of Cambridgeshire Music, said.

"With Connect we can offer a young person the opportunity to learn face-to-face with a first-rate tutor, wherever they are, whatever their situation."

For more information about Connect visit www.cambridgeshiremusic.org.uk or email cm@cambirdgeshire.gov.uk