Will Polly get to NY with a little help from her friends?

Former Hemel Hempstead School pupil Polly Taylor, of Felden Lane, has been accepted into the New York Film Academy to study screenwriting from January – but the future female Spielberg has embarked on an ambitious fundraising mission to stump up the necessary cash.

In order to take part in her dream course, Polly must travel to the States on a student visa, meaning she cannot work to help fund herself while learning the cinematic art.

In just 13 days she has pledged to raise £10,000 using an innovative ‘crowdfunding’ technique - asking her peers and social media friends to donate what they can to help her reach her goal.

The 21 year old now has just seven days left, and still has a way to go to reach her target.

Polly, who achieved a first class honours degree in Theatre and Performance from the University of Hull, said: “The New York Film Academy is a prestigious school that prides itself on its philosophy of ‘learning by doing’ and has had guest lecturers such as Steven Spielberg and Jonah Hill.

“The chance of going to this school is everything and more to me and I am determined to get there.

“I want to write films and going to NYFA will take me step closer to doing this.”

Find out more about Polly’s fundraising attempts and sponsor her here.

You can also follow her on Twitter with the handle @pollylouise28, or visit her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pollylouisetaylor

For more about her course at the New York Film Academy, click here.