Titchfield BBC award winner keeps people dancing for 40 years
As a dozen couples twirl on to the floor Pauline Steels tells them: "The next dance is the Tina Tango."Pauline may look an unlikely DJ, but she has been running weekly tea dances like this one at the Titchfield Community Centre in Hampshire, for 40 years.In doing so she has raised more than £90,000 to support local community centres and last year won the BBC Radio Solent Make a Difference fundraiser award. Nominations are currently open for the 2025 awards.
The Tuesday afternoon dances are regularly attended by up to 40 people. Pauline also runs a monthly Saturday night dance which is an even bigger draw - with up to 80 dancers.George Carter and his wife Carol are often among them, "they're brilliant nights, good dancing, good music and it's very friendly here," says George. "It keeps you fit as well," adds Carol.Mervyn and Chris Birch learnt ballroom dancing when they retired and are also now regulars at Pauline's dances. "Pauline plays the right sort of music for everybody to do the dances to," says Mervyn. "We've been to other dances around the county and for one reason or another it is never quite the same as the one Pauline puts on."
Some of the dancers accompanied Pauline to the awards ceremony in September and were thrilled when she won. Chris was one of them: "I don't think anyone was as surprised as Pauline was."She didn't think she would get it. "We were really pleased for her because she's done an awful lot of work in the community to keep it going and give these people here something to do - they love to dance."Pauline's husband was unable to accompany her to the awards due to ill health, but cried with joy when she told him the news. The award now has pride of place on their mantlepiece.Pauline was nominated by one of the community centres she fundraises for. Although she was delighted to win, she says she never did it for any recognition: "I do it for the community centres and my people, that's what I do it for. "I get the pleasure out of running it myself as well, so it's brilliant really."The regulars say they cannot remember a time when Pauline has missed a session and there is no sign of her hanging up her microphone just yet.
The Make a Difference Awards recognise people, across eight different categories, who are making a difference where they live.Every BBC Local Radio station will host awards in 2025.It is a chance to say thank you to people who make life better for others.Nominations can be made via the BBC Make a Difference website where you can also see full terms and the privacy notice.Nominations close on the 31st March 2025 at 17:00.
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