Tap keeps Terry, 72, on his twinkle toes

STILL dancing . . . Terry Matthews, the only man in the tap dancing class at Samantha Jayne School of Dance

Waltzes, Latin and tap have kept Chadderton dancer Terry Matthews young at heart.

And at 72 he still takes to the floor every week, despite being the only man in the tap dancing class at the Samantha Jayne School of Dance in Chadderton.

Terry began ballroom dancing at 14 at Eddie Cook’s school in Featherstall Road, Oldham, and went on to be in the top six young male dancers in the North-West when he was in his 20s.

Terry also became a dance teacher and his three sons followed in his rhythmic footsteps.

It was while he was taking son Sean to classes that he met up with legendary Oldham choreographer Sheila Carter, who used to be at the Marriane Jepson School, but later began her own classes in Chadderton.

And through Sheila Carter’s choreography for local amateur dramatic groups, Terry also took to the stage, first in the chorus for “Carousel”, then in a variety of local productions.

Terry, of Springbank, Chadderton, joked: “They say put me on a stage and shine a torch on me and I’ll perform.

“But ballroom is my favourite, I love teaching the young ones, and I love teaching technique.

“I saw Samantha first as a little girl and now she is running her own school.

“I also teach under 12s at the Trujon School in Royton.”

“The owner Trudy Mainwaring was a former pupil of mine, and asked me to go and help her when she set up and I’m still there five years later.”

Terry, who worked as a baker and later for 20 years at BAe Systems in Chadderton, said: “I must be a bit of a Fred Astaire, but it is for pure pleasure. I started tap 30 years ago with Sheila Carter, and still love it — it keeps you fit.”

Sadly, his weekly tap lessons are under threat as Samantha’s school is one of the groups forced to leave Chadderton Library when the new Wellbeing Centre opened.

Terry added: “It is such a shame because we all loved the classes, and every year Samantha holds a charity show. The council does not know what it’s losing.”