Your Homes Newcastle’s Community Care Alarm Service has been bringing generations together once again through dance – with teenage dance students and older people doing salsa, disco, bollywood and hip hop together!

A combined total of 120 people, many of whom are sheltered housing tenants, attended the events over two days in Newcastle at the Lightfoot Centre, Walker, and the Westgate Centre for Sport, Fenham.

Led by an experienced dance teacher and students from the Newcastle Dance Centre, the former academy of local legends Ant and Dec and Cheryl Cole, the events aimed to get older people active to promote physical benefits, and bring people of all ages together from the local communities.

Among those attending was Peggy Dixon, a resident of Coniston Court in Newcastle.

She said:

“The dancing did me a world of good and made me feel really good because I used to dance all the time.  Doing this dance boosted morale and made me completely forget about the constant pain in my leg.”

The success of these events and the demand for more activities for older people has led to plans for more work in the East of the city, to get people active, strengthen links in the community, and promote understanding and respect between generations.  Look out for opportunities to get involved or contact Lewis Kirkbride at Community Care Alarm Service to find out more: lewis.kirkbride@yhn.org.uk.