EDNA’S story

It’s not gone back to normal since Covid, there’s a lot of things never opened up again.

“On a Friday, we volunteer to do the dancing. I have a partner comes, and we lead off the dancers. It’s sequence dancing, but they’re old dances, which a lot of people do a lot these days. We average about thirty people coming. I like doing it and the people are friendly, it’s a good atmosphere. Everybody dances with one another. It’s two hours, it’s two till four. We have tea and biscuits, or some have coffee and biscuits. And there’s a lady, she makes cake every week, so that’s a bonus.

I’ve been coming a long while here. I can’t do as much now because I get very tired really, because I’m ninety-four now. I get a bit tired when I’ve led the dance off and done one dance, so I have to sit down a bit. Roy gets them up on the floor, and they come back again. It’s such a good atmosphere. 

There’s about three new people come in about the last month, so that’s not so bad, you know, but it’s just nice to see people coming into it. You could do with some more people, when they retire, to come into dancing. It is a good thing, because it makes you dress decent, it makes your brain work, and you’ve got the good company.  But it’s just if they take to it…

The first pair of shoes I had were all glittery. That was the first pair I ever had; they were really sparkly shoes. I could wear higher ones but these, that’s my limit now. I can’t walk in flats or anything like that, I’ve got to have my heel on.

I come to the balance class on a Tuesday morning. They’d assigned me there because I broke my collarbone and I had to come for exercise, but I’d also broke my pelvis, right and left, and seven ribs.  I think this Age UK centre is good. It’s helped me a lot when I’ve had my falls. They came to visit me. They’re very good at doing things if you’re stuck for anything. They are friendly, very friendly. It’s a very good place to know because they do help you a lot.

During Covid, I missed my dancing, but I used to do other things. I did a bit of reading and knitting, a bit of gardening, but I had all my falls. I was in hospital, in and out, most of the time through Covid. There were no visiting. It was a bit of a bind really, you know, you never saw anybody that you wanted to see.  My family, they couldn’t come, they used to just leave things at the lodge, like clean clothes, nighties, and everything that I wanted. My daughter used to do my shopping and she used to come, leave it on the step. I’d open the door, and she’d stand outside, and we’d have a little chat, and then she’d go. That’s what we had to do. My family came but they stayed outside, and I’d just talk to them, I’d get something to sit on in the hall, or the lobby, as I call it, and sit there and we’d talk for a bit.

I’ve never been one for giving in.  I mean I’ve fought all my things in my body, I’ve got through all my breaks and everything, I’ve faced that. 

It’s not gone back to normal since Covid, there’s a lot of things never opened up again. Things just don’t seem the same really. I find people not as helpful as they used to be. I get on the bus now, I do get a seat, because I have a walking stick and my walker, but sometimes you get them, they won’t move. I had to sit on my walker.

It were good to get back into the dancing. The partner I have now, on a Friday afternoon, he’s really encouraged me to get back into dancing, he’s really worked on me. I were frightened of falling again when I came back. He can sense if I’m not a bit steady and he says, “I won’t let you fall, you’re all right.”  So it’s quite good really.  He has given me a lot of encouragement, has Roy.”