Tickets on sale for ballroom dancing at newly-refurbished Dudley Town Hall

The summer ball will be the first event due to be held at Dudley Town Hall after it reopens following refurbishment work.

Ballroom, Latin American and sequence dancing will be on the cards at the event on September 3.

The ball's organiser Fiona Bennett runs weekly tea dances on Wednesdays at the town hall, in St James's Road which have been held for more than three decades.

"We resumed the dances last August after the lockdown months and we held a Christmas ball last year. My husband Terry Wood started them about 35 years ago and when he passed away in 2004 I carried on.

"We all found the Covid pandemic crisis difficult because the dances are such a big part of our lives. It's not just the physical activity, it's the social side as well. Lots of people of are on their own. I was fortunate that because I'm a dance teacher I was able to do private lessons with couples when the measures allowed.

"Everybody is over the moon to be able to socialise together once more. We're looking forward to returning to the town hall after it closed early last month to be decorated."

The ball on Saturday September 3 will be from 8pm-11.30pm. Tickets should be purchased in advance and cost £7.50. Bookings are available by phoning 01384 243451.

The main auditorium, bar, banqueting suite and balcony seats are being spruced up with new seating to be acquired in the stalls as part of the new programme.

Dudley Council's regeneration boss Councillor Simon Phipps said: "The shows we are booking are just getting bigger and better and we felt that our audience and performers deserve a venue that does them all justice.

"This refurbishment work will create a more attractive venue for performers and a more comfortable and contemporary experience for our audience. With the addition of Brooke’s Bar and Bistro, a trip to Dudley Town Hall can now become a full and stylish evening experience."