Pensioners tea dance

Pensioners got into the swing of things at a tea dance last week.

West Library in Bridgeman Road, Barnsbury, hosted the first in a new season of tea dances for the borough’s older residents.

The event attracted a healthy-sized crowd of 38 who enjoyed free cake and tea, along with a heady mix of line-dancing, foxtrot, rumba and anything in between. Live musicians provided a variety of pop tunes from every era.

Peter Crockett of organisers Music for People said: “For future events we are planning to include guest spots. For the next one we’re hoping to line up a belly dancer and an Elvis impersonator.”

Based in Manor Gardens, Holloway, Music for People has been hosting sing-along and dance concerts for the older people of Islington for five years, with more than 150 events a year.

Mr Crockett added: “Despite the cutbacks, we are getting more and more requests for music. Maybe we all yearn for a bit of entertainment and togetherness in these difficult times.”

The next opportunity for an afternoon jive will be at West Library from 2pm to 4pm on February 28, and then on the last Tuesday of every month.