Ruth was a very fine concert pianist in her earlier years, and her love for music remained a passion throughout her life. In 2012, she founded the Pendle Young Musicians Bursary (PYMB) to give the young musicians of Pendle, a chance of gaining substantial funding to help them continue their musical studies. 

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Ruth died in 2022 but her legacy lives on, as the panel continue her work, inspiring and nurturing the next generation of local musicians through the bursaries and The Manchester Camerata 360 fellowship.