Broughton dancers hope to inspire future generations after retaining national title

They’ve been crowned British champions

A Broughton couple who started dancing as a hobby say they hope to inspire future generations after being crowned British champions again.

Roger and Annette Griss first took the dancefloor on a cruise holiday 17 years but now have a bulging trophy cabinet.

The most recent win saw the couple retain their Classical British title, which is open to the senior over 35s, and they also triumphed in the modern sequence competition. The duo also defended their international Irish Open titles for the fourth time.

Housebuilder Roger, who swaps the building site for the ballroom to compete, said: “I had never danced before we tried it out on a cruise holiday. It was just something we both really enjoyed from the start.

“In the beginning it was a hobby, but it was our teacher spotted our talent and encouraged us to start competing about 14 years ago.

“Since then it has become our passion in life and we are always trying to get better. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of hard work which takes up most of our spare time.”

Roger, 63, and Annette, 54, met at a Bovis dinner dance when they were both working for the housebuilding firm.

They have no plans to hang up their dancing shoes any time soon and the duo say are proud of the fact that they are competing against much younger couples.

Roger said: “The dancing keeps us fit and active and we enjoy the competitions.

"We have not really thought about retiring and we really want to win the British title for a third year in a row.

And the pair are keen to inspire future generations of dancers after the art form’s popularity grew.

Roger added said: “We have seen a big rise in interest in dancing and obviously Strictly Come Dancing helps with that, but it would be great if more people were competing in the classical sequence field.

“Our teacher Marjorie King has been a great help. When we stop competing I would like to get involved in teaching so I could pass on some of the experience I have picked up over the years.”