High note for clarinet player

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Oct 3, 2008

DAD'S Army star Ian Lavender will front a Royal Air Force concert on Tyneside next week.

But the big attraction for some will be a young musician behind the star, who played Pike in the classic comedy.

Clarinetist and Senior Aircraftswoman Shona McPherson, from Amble in Northumberland, is taking part in the band's first big concert in her home area since she joined the R A F.

The 20-year-old former Coquet High School pupil's parents and brother live in the area and she hopes they will be joined by family and friends for the concert at the Sage, Gateshead, on October 17.

She joined the RAF in March 2005 and became a member of the RAF Cran-well College band the following November.

"It's great getting paid for doing what you enjoy," she said.

See www.airtattoo.com /events/RAFInConcert for details.