New lease of life for dance club

A Blackpool morris dancing club that faced an uncertain future after it was plagued by financial woes has been saved - for now - by generous locals.
The Broadway Stars Morris DancersThe Broadway Stars Morris Dancers
The Broadway Stars Morris Dancers

The Broadway Stars Morris Dancers, which has run in Blackpool for nearly 30 years, appealed for help in The Gazette earlier this month due to a lack of funding.

Club founder Michelle Burke, 51, said she feared the club would lose members if they were forced to raise its £5 weekly attendance fee.

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But now the club is ‘totally out of the woods’ thanks to funding from Blackpool Council and the Gerald Richardson Memorial Youth Trust.

Michelle said: “We had three council wards come forward with some funding that totalled £1,250, and that was fabulous, and we got £250 from the Trust.

“We’re feeling positive and in a strong place to start the next season.”

And the troupe has even more reason to celebrate, as they recently returned from the 2019 ELMO Championships at Pontins in Prestatyn, Wales, with no less than 30 awards, including the senior champion award and the prize for best overall talent.

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“Since we have come back, we have been inundated with new members for the start of the new season in March. We have already had £1,000 donated, which is incredible. We have never had this before,” Michelle said.

“We absolutely swept the board. We went in six categories and won three of the six, and came as runners-up in the other three.

“We couldn’t have asked for anything more of them. Even if they hadn’t got the results they did, they gave it their all the whole weekend.”