Older Durham people tea dancing their way to well-being at Ushaw

Older people in North West Durham are going back in time on the dancefloor at one of the county’s landmark cultural venues.

Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens has launched a series of monthly tea dances in its refectory to provide around 40 local people aged 65 and over with the chance to enjoy some old-fashioned entertainment in the company of their peers.

And to help ensure everyone who wants to attend can get there, a free shuttle bus service has been set up to take dancers living in local villages to and from the venue.

A £2,000 grant from the Banks Group’s Banks Community Fund is helping to cover the project costs, with further events set to take place on the first Wednesday afternoon of September, October and November.

The tea dances are being led by experienced dance professional Dianne Proudfoot, who will teach participants a range of different dance moves that they then go on to perform together.

The project is part of Ushaw’s programme of creative activities for people aged 65 and over, which is designed to support well-being, build confidence and help them connect with others.

It follows on from its successful Forget Me Notes dementia-friendly choir, which takes place every Thursday morning and welcomes people of all singing abilities.

Ushaw is working with local organisations including Age UK County Durham to further the reach of the project and is now looking at how the tea dances might be extended into the new year.

Charlotte Hutton, learning and engagement officer at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens, says: “Older people can face a range of different challenges such as social isolation, adjusting to being retired or being recently bereaved, with the social contact that’s provided through our events really making a difference to their overall well-being.

“Taking part in events like this brings a whole range of different benefits, from improved physical and mental health and a stronger sense of purpose through to making new friendships and building the confidence to try other new activities that they might not previously have thought about.

“We also know that transport can be an issue for many older people, especially to a venue like ours that’s a little bit out of the way, so have introduced the shuttle bus service to make sure no-one misses out.

“Our August tea dance was a complete sell-out and it’s been wonderful to see how much everyone has been enjoying themselves as they’ve swept gracefully around the dancefloor.

“The support we’ve had from Banks has been crucial in helping us make these tea dances happen and the positive impacts that they have will last for a long time into the future.”

Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “This is a lovely project that brings people together from across local communities in a beautiful location and gives them the chance to learn new skills, spend some quality time together and make new friends.”

Places at Ushaw’s tea dances are free for people living in all DH postcodes, as well as in DL13-17, but are limited and must be booked in advance.  For further information, please visit https://ushaw.org/whatson/tea-dance/

The Banks Group’s community funds are independently managed by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation).