Pensioner's anger at "dancing ban"

2:30am Thursday 7th August 2008

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A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER was told to sit down at a summer festival after stewards said dancing had been banned.

Edith Hall, 83, was enjoying a recent open-air summer concert at Bents Park, South Shields, as part of the South Tyneside Summer Festival with her family.

She made the trip to Bents Park in South Shields to see Roland Gift with her daughter Jan Dowie, 58, and son-in-law Tony Westrop.

Mr Westrop, 63, a manufacturing manager, said: "We were sitting on deckchairs at the very back of the seated area, and we got up to have a bit of a dance.

"Being at the back, we weren't in anyone's way, and the only people behind us was the standing audience.

"We were having a great time, until a steward came over and told us to sit down.

"We asked 'why?', and she just said it was the rules, and dancing wasn't allowed."

Mrs Hall, a widowed great-grandmother of three from Poplar Close, Hebburn, said: "I couldn't believe it. Every week the performers usually encourage everyone to get up and dance."

Last night a council spokesman said: "The seating area was created in response to complaints from people who were arriving early to sit in front of the stage, only for other people to come in once the show had started and stand in front of them throughout the performance.

"The seating area is popular with people of all ages, but is particularly well used by the elderly and people with disabilities.

"Dancing is allowed in the seating area, we only ask that people give consideration to other spectators when doing so.

"We try to be fair to everybody, and also ask our stewards to exercise common sense when supervising this area."