Dance troupe in plea for sponsor

Buckley Belles senior dance team with their bus

Buckley Belles senior dance team with their bus
Members of Buckley Belles Dance Troupe have made a desperate plea for sponsorship after after the engine of their competition bus blew up on the way to a tournament.

The trusty vehicle, which has transported the group to competitions for two years, broke down on the way to a contest in Leeds. The Hollinwood dancers were devastated at having to bow out of the competition.

Now the troupe, which caters for dancers aged 2-35, is seeking help to buy a new bus or pay for repairs.

Founder and principle Margaret Buckley has run the troupe for over 50 years with help from her three daughters Daryl Jackson, Julie Kenyon and Debra Howarth.

Kathryn Jones, who helps to train the younger dancers, said the self-sufficient club is struggling to keep going with mounting running costs of costumes, room hire, parking and fuel costs.

She said said: “We’re self-funded so it’s hard to keep going.

“We’ve done a few bag-packs and sponsored walks but we need a few thousand pounds for the year so it’s difficult to keep raising money. It is quite costly to keep afloat but we all try to pull together as a team.

“If a company wanted to sponsor us we’d be happy to have their name printed on our T-shirts.”

The troupe, which boasts three teams, trains on Tuesday nights.

At the weekend, the troupe won prizes at Todmorden Carnival and also cleaned up with first prizes in all sections at the start of season Championships at Southport Pontins.

Anyone who can help the group can contact: Kathryn.jones53@ntlworld.com