A DISTRAUGHT Skipton couple are set to leave town because they are having to close the dance centre they have run for 25 years.

Over the years Jim and Maureen Taylor have created a haven for dance at the old St John Ambulance Hall on Ermysted's Street, giving hundreds of locals the chance to shine in a pastime they love, or simply to have fun and keep fit.

The walls of the Melody Dance Centre are festooned with trophies and plaques brought back from some of the country's biggest dance competitions.

But soon the dancing looks set to stop, after St John bosses at their headquarters in Thirsk decided to increase rent charges at the hall. Jim and Maureen say they can't afford the new rates, triple the amount they're paying now.

Unless an alternative venue can be found quickly the couple will be moving out of the area altogether, as they can't bear the thought of staying and seeing the once happy hall vacant.

Jim said: "We finish our lease in February and we are virtually waiting for the sale of our house. If it sells we are moving south to live with our daughter.

"It's been our life really. But now we are only there until the lease expires at the end of February.

"When we moved into here in 1973 it was run down completely and made no money or anything. The St John Ambulance asked if we could take it on for a fair rent, and we agreed to do it.

"We repaired and refurbished everything, including a sewer, at our own cost. We built a carpark and got rid of a mass of woodworm.

"Now they want to put us on commercial rates, which has made the cost triple. We just can't afford to keep going now.

"It's a shame because we have made a lot of people very happy over the years. We have even seen three or four couples get married or start living together as a result of meeting here.

"If we don't manage to sell our house and move away I suppose we could move the centre to new premises, but you could never replace the unique atmosphere that has built up where we are now."

Jim and Maureen have catered for all ages in their time at the centre, from two to eighty-year-olds, providing a whole range of classes over five nights a week, including Latin, ballroom and, more recently, line dancing.

Sylvia Dickinson, who has been attending lessons with her husband Kenneth for four years, said: "Jim and Maureen are devastated because it's taken them 20 years to build it up and now the St John Ambulance are closing them down. It's a shame they are selling up and moving.

"But Jim doesn't even want to have to walk past the building if he's not running his centre anymore.

"Some people have been going to the Melody Dance Centre for over 20 years. We go to the socials and the classes there, learning ballroom and latin. If you ask anyone in Skipton about the centre they will either have been there at one time, or know someone who attends. It's that popular."

An anonymous letter to the Herald read: "The St John Ambulance have successfully squeezed Melody Dance Centre dry.

"What about about the pensioners and mature couples and single people whose only social contact is through Melody? My heart goes out to Maureen and Jim who have fought so gallantly and lost. I am sure evey member wishes them the best for the future."

When the Herald contacted St John Ambulance, in Thirsk, we were told that the Commander there was the only person authorised to speak on this matter, but she was away until next week.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.