They have been threatening to hang up their dancing shoes for years but organisers of an annual event first staged in Sudbury in the 1960s say the show could go on.
The Sudbury ‘Car Park Dance’, which took place in the town throughout the 1960s, was revived in 2011 and has raised more than £30,000 for various charities in the past eight years.
A group of friends, who took part in the dance as teenagers during the 1960s, decided to revive the event because they remembered it with such fondness.
The dance used to be staged in Sudbury’s North Street car park but since its revival has been staged indoors at the Delphi Centre.
More than 200 people attended this year’s dance and £1,500 was raised for the Sudbury and district branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL).
Members of the dance organising committee handed over the cheque to RBL volunteers at the Gainsborough pub in Sudbury today.
Maureen Owen, committee member, said: “We had so much fun in Sudbury in the 1960s. We went to the coffee houses and the two cinemas, we didn’t really go to the pubs.
“We just thought it would be a great idea if we could all get together again and see some old faces, and we really did. We had people come to the first one that we hadn’t seen in years.
“Since then, we’ve had a marvellous dance every year. We keep saying it will be the last one but we would like to do it again.”
Another one of the organisers, Neil Taylor, said: “I think we’ll probably have another one. People come up to us and say ‘when are you having your dance this year?’ It’s very popular.”
Bonnie Foster, who was 14-years-old when she took part in her first dance in 1960, said: “The dances were fabulous. All we cared about was boys.
“It’s great to see so many old faces.”
Stuart Hume, from the Sudbury and district branch of the Royal British Legion, said: “The donation is absolutely fantastic.
“I’ve been involved with Sudbury’s Legion branch since 1990, and this is the largest single donation ever received so I’d like to say a big thank you to the dance group.
“The poppy appeal will run until September 30 this year, but to date we have raised £54,826.”
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