Twin town guests enjoy dance festival

The Blackpool Chinese Community Association (BCCA) has hosted the visitors from Sanya in southern China.

Blackpool officially twinned with Sanya last year.

Peter Lui, chief executive of the BCCA, said: “We hope this is the start of a regular cultural exchange between our two communities following the twinning.

“It was very exciting for our visitors to go to the Winter Gardens as it is the holy grail of ballroom dancing.

“Sanya is interested in holding its own ballroom dancing event next year, and the delegation met up with Michael Williams from the Winter Gardens to discuss this.”

The delegation included two dancers who were competing at the festival.

They also visited the JLC Dance Academy on Cherry Tree Road, Marton, as well as dining with members of the BCCA at the New Treasure City restaurant on Dickson Road.

The four-day visit to Blackpool was part of a wider visit to the UK, including London.

Blackpool Council leader Coun SImon Blackburn and Mr Yue Jin from Sanya signed the twinning agreement last September.

Sanya is a relatively new tropical beach destination in Hainan province which is seeking to build up its tourism offer.