A DANCING school is appealing for help to give youngsters the chance to perform at a major venue.

Pupils of the Zoe And Kirk Taylor School of Dance, based in Brownhill, Blackburn, were due to perform at the Windsor Suite - seating capacity 584 - on April 8.

But they have been told the suite will be undergoing refurbishment on that date and their only alternative is to perform in the main King George's Hall, with a seating capacity of 1,853.

They are now hoping local people will come forward with sponsorship to help cover the extra costs.

Zoe Taylor said: "We had booked the date provisionally but when we went to confirm the booking we were told the Windsor Suite was going to be refurbished. I tried a few other places but they were all booked up. The only one available was King George's Hall,

She said the staff at King George's Hall had been very helpful and had said the school did not have to sell tickets for the balcony, reducing the capacity to around 1,100.

But she said money would still have to be raised to cover the cost.

Pupils from the school, who range in age from two to adult, have been holding raffles and sponsored events to raise funds.

Zoe has written to local businesses asking for sponsorship, or for them to take out an advertisement in the show programme for just £5.

She has also been trying to drum up ticket sales and has slashed the cost of tickets to £5 for adults and £4 for children to try to attract a bigger audience.

She said: "The kids are really looking forward to it. It is exciting for them to be doing a show at King George's Hall because it is a big theatre.

"The students have been rehearsing and learned all the dances. Most of the costumes have been made. We can't turn round now and say the show is off."

A spokeswoman for Blackburn with Darwen Council, which runs King George's Hall, said the refurbishment would take around 16 weeks. She added: "When complete, the facility will be much improved and also equipped to provide facilities for use by businesses and groups staging conferences in the borough.

"We apologise to the dancing school for any inconvenience to their schedule. Our staff have worked with them to accommodate the group in King George's Hall itself so that their event can still go ahead.

"The refurbishment is taking place during what is usually a quieter time for the halls to minimise disruption to users and we thank our customers for their patience."

Anyone who wants to help should contact Zoe at the Zoe and Kirk Taylor School of Dance, 373 Whalley New Road, Blackburn BB1 9SP, telephone 01254 260657.

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