Laura Macleod took up the bassoon at age 10, taught first by local teacher Graham Dolby, then later by Ian Cuthill of the English Chamber Orchestra. She toured for several years with the Cambridgeshire County Youth Orchestra and then the Bristol University Chamber Orchestra, performed in many operas and musicals, including The Rake’s Progress, and played in wind and bassoon quintets since forming her first quintet at school. She has performed bassoon concertos by Mozart, Weber and Vivaldi in Cambridge, and now plays regularly with the Cambridge Wind Players. Laura continues to play for pleasure alongside her work in supporting families with Autism Spectrum Disorder, although she is also very busy studying for further professional qualifications. Photograph: Marie Dullaghan