AN ASPIRING musician made a triumphant return to Swindon on Sunday to receive a national award for his guitar playing.

19-year-old student Henry Bateman was presented with an Exhibition Award by Trinity College in recognition of scoring an impressive 98 percent in his grade eight assessment – one of the highest scores in the UK.

Returning to the Swindon Pegasus Band Hall in Stratton, scene of his exam triumph, a very modest Henry said:

“I’m really pleased to be given this award, it’s fantastic.

“Although I was practicing for my grade eight for a long time and putting in a lot of hours, I think a lot of it comes down to the circumstances on the day and I was quite lucky.”

Henry’s dad Jim is a professional guitar teacher so it was no surprise when he showed an interest from an early age.

Henry added: “I got my first guitar when I was about six and picked it up gradually from there.

“I’ve had various teachers including my dad and Paul Cordell who taught me for seven years and was a massive influence on my playing.”

Dad Jim said: “I’d love to take the credit for this one but he’s very much a self-starter, I’ve just added in the odd bit along the way.

“The fact he only dropped two marks in the exam is amazing.

“In fact his previous exam was grade five which is quite a jump, but his ability was such that I knew he’d be able to do it.”

In September, Henry started a course in popular music specialising in song writing at Leeds College of Music.

He said: “I’ve always had this ambition to be an artist, to write songs and perform them. Being at music college opens your eyes up to the different possibilities.

“I’m just keeping moving forward and seeing where things take me.”

Whatever musical path he chooses, Henry is off to a good start – his first full length album ‘Take A Form’ was released last year and is available online now.