A DANCE club is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year.

Members of the Ireleth with Askam Old Time and Sequence Dance Club plan to mark their 70th anniversary by raising money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The group have been dancing in Askam since 1947.

The first dance was held on December 11 that year at Mrs Kellet's Tea Room, in Duddon Road.

As the club became increasingly popular, they moved to larger premises eight months later to cope with demand.

The Askam Band Hall has been the permanent home of the club ever since, with weekly dance nights every Thursday at 7.30pm.

Chairman Clive Dobson said: "This is our 70th year and we want to have a special party this Christmas to celebrate it.

"We started dancing after the war and we're still going strong today.

"We're one of the oldest dance clubs in the country so we're proud of that and want it to continue."

The dance club has seen membership fluctuate over the years, with the move from old time dancing to more modern, sequence dancing seeing their numbers fall to an all time low of 24 in the mid-1980s.

As as result, 1986 saw a move to focus on old time dances again, with numbers jumping to 125 by 1987.

Today, the club boasts 66 members, with a regular attendance at the club each week.

Mr Dobson said: "We changed dances but that wasn't too popular and the membership shot back up when we focused on old time dances.

"It's a totally different way of dancing where you keep hold of your partner more, rather than letting go and doing a solo part.

"They're a bit slower which means everybody can talk at the same time, so it's also a lot more social which is important to us too."

Over the years, the dance club has raised thousands of pounds for charity, with donations raised this year going to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The club also holds a number of party nights each year, with a special 70th anniversary party planned for December.

Mr Dobson said: "We have at least one charity night every year and we've supported a lot of well-deserving charities over the years.
"We always like to try and get someone from the charity to come down and accept the cheque and tell us about how the money will be spent and what it will mean to them.

"We have dance nights where everyone gets dressed up and brings along some prizes to raffle off, but we also raise money through our membership fees and paying when we dance.

"There's always a small surplus every year and we add that to the charity pot."