“When Dad fell over it was very upsetting for the whole family. Even when he recovered from his injuries, he felt too frightened to leave the house in case he fell again and we were all worried about him. Going back to his day to day activities was difficult. We all understood about doing the exercises but it was hard for him to stay motivated and I couldn’t be there to do it with him all the time.

When he started going to the dance classes, he just seemed to wake up! He really enjoyed the music and enjoyed dancing with the others in the group. He made new friends and looked forward to each session. Now he goes out to get the paper, he is much more confident and he is up and down out of his chair much more easily.”

“Oh it’s marvellous and good to get out and meet new people”

“The sessions are fun and sociable and they help people to get stronger. Feeling more confident can help our residents be more able to cope with a fall or fear of falling. A lot of the men really enjoy it!”

Sally has been attending dance classes for around 8 months now.

“I am much more confident about what I can do now and dancing makes me feel happy. I’ve made new friends and we are always laughing together”.

“Dancing is a wonderful way to be healthier and stronger”.

“I used to think I couldn’t dance and that I wasn’t graceful, but the others, they have all encouraged me with positive comments.”

“Seeing people settle into their bodies is wonderful. I have seen such beautiful movement and real tenderness between people as they develop their dances together”.

“At the start of the dance sessions, Hilda had told us that she felt anxious when moving about at home doing household chores in case she fell. One important thing we worked on together was learning to pause in the transition from one thing to another and we practised this in the travelling dance sequences.”

“lovely, absolutely lovely. The classes are very good, without pressure, even relaxing!”

“I feel more confident now and I’ve also started gardening again”

“In the group, they have all made friends. When it started everyone was just sitting on their own and now they are all chatting, and are so much stronger. The music has been brilliant in the sessions. I think everyone’s balance has improved.”