Video: Tea dancing into the sunset at Harrogate

For the past nine years tea dances have been held in Harrogate to help raise funds to restore the town’s Royal Hall, a “glittering palace of gold” which recently marked its 110th anniversary.

It has also undergone a major facelift with the help of the dances which have raised tens of thousands of pounds for the cause.

Yesterday afternoon the final dance in aid of the project was held beneath the Sun Pavilion’s beautiful coloured roof at the historic venue in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.

And rows of tea cups were laid out, ready for when the dancers needed refreshment.

Among those attending were regulars Madeleine Nicholson, 81, and James Gracie, who both live in Harrogate.

“Dancing is good exercise, there is good music and you meet nice people,” Mrs Nicholson said, adding she was sad the tea dances were finally coming to an end. “We have loved coming.”

Five years ago the major restoration project rejuvenated the Royal Hall and in May an open day was held at the theatre to mark its 110th birthday.

The Royal Hall has been an entertainment venue for more than a century, playing host to acts as diverse as the London Philharmonic, dancer Anna Pavlova, Petula Clark and the Beatles.

By 2002, however, it looked as if its better days were behind it and it had to be closed because concrete used in its construction was found to contain a hidden timebomb – chemical salts had begun to erode and sections of concrete became structurally unsafe.

A £10.7m restoration project was launched and in 2008 the venue reopened after being restored with a £6m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £2m from Harrogate Council and £2.7m provided by the public through the Royal Hall Restoration Trust.

The restoration process halted the decay, but has also made the 1,300-seat Royal Hall fit for use in the 21st century.

Members of the Trust carried on fundraising for a number of projects at the venue after it reopened.

Now that much of the work has been completed it has been decided to call time on the regular tea dances, although the Trust does still have some work it wants to do.

Howard Hughes, administrator of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, said: “This is the last tea dance. It’s been running for nine years now and it’s raised tens of thousands of pounds for the restoration and probably what is more important is that it has brought a lot of joy and pleasure to a lot of people over the years.

“I feel sad it’s all coming to an end but then everything has to come to an end I guess.”

The original inspiration was the late Lilian Mina, who approached retired singer Barbara Simpson, a key supporter of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, about raising money and the idea of the tea dances was born. At one point they were held every week in the summer.

Mr Hughes said of the Royal Hall: “I think it’s been such a central part of people’s lives over the last 100 years and, of course, it was not only a wonderful entertainment venue but it was also a very popular dance hall in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Many people in Harrogate met their future spouses on the dance floor.”

Mrs Simpson, organiser of the tea dances, said she was sad they were coming to an end but added: “We have all made friends as well as raising money. We have regulars that have been coming for nine years. They come from all over, from Doncaster, from Halifax, from all around.”

There was some good news for regular dancers. Terry Wadkin, organist at yesterday’s event, said dances were planned at Harrogate’s Cairn Hotel next year.