Leeds Grandmother Awarded Acting Scholarship

A grandmother from Leeds who aspired to be an actress since she was a child is finally pursuing her dream having been awarded an acting scholarship by the Yorkshire Academy of Film and Television Acting (YAFTA).

Pauline Tomlin, 54 from Burley in Leeds won the YAFTA You Can scholarship for a place on their Acting for Screen Diploma course after making a huge impression on YAFTA MD, Charlotte Armitage.

“Pauline lit up the room with her passion and enthusiasm. She’s had an incredibly varied career but never lost that creative streak and it was a joy to see her perform at the audition. Our You Can scholarship is specifically aimed at encouraging those who are from underrepresented groups to pursue their passion for a career in film and tv and we were overwhelmed with the response this year with so much talent on offer. YAFTA has always been committed to championing and supporting the need for a diverse and fairly represented industry, with talent and passion at the fore – regardless of age, race, disability, background or socio-economic status.”

A single mother of three, Pauline had previously retrained as a secondary school teacher at the age of 40, and recently spent three years teaching in Nigeria. Having returned to her Leeds home last summer with the aim of finally pursuing her passion for acting, Pauline started looking at extra work before she saw the advert for the YAFTA scholarship.

Pauline adds: “Having grown up admiring the likes of Judy Garland, The Nicholas Brothers, Dorothy Dandridge and Betty White, I’d always loved performing and singing. Being an actor was the ultimate dream but not something I felt I could ever achieve. It really feels like now’s my time to pursue something I’ve always longed for, and I’m aiming big with a BAFTA and SAG awards in my sights! I’m completely overwhelmed and thankful to Charlotte and YAFTA for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started!”

The YAFTA Acting for Screen Diploma is a unique and bespoke course taught by industry professionals from the world’s leading performing schools with alumni appearing in leading productions including BBC’s Baptiste, Holby City, Casualty, CBBC, ITV’s Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Last Tango in Halifax, along with Channel 4, Netflix and Amazon productions to name a few.