Children terrified as theatre locked-down for protest

Children as young as six were caught up in the lockdown at the Regent Theatre

Protests in of Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday left the young cast of a dance show "terrified", one of their leaders has said.

Dance group SCDC cancelled the final performance at the Regent Theatre after the venue was put in lockdown as protesters gathered nearby.

Katie Tonkin Beardmore, the group's manager, said some of the children were in tears and the cancelled show had hit SCDC financially.

The protests were sparked by the death of three girls at a dance event in Southport, and Ms Tonkin Beardmore said that incident was at the forefront of organisers' minds.

"It hits hard thinking it was to do with dance as well, and then we're all here," she said.

The protests were among several across the UK on Saturday, some of which turned violent.

Police made 10 arrests in Stoke-on-Trent as hundreds of people gathered in Hanley, some wearing masks to conceal their identity.

While it was largely peaceful in the morning, it turned increasingly violent during the afternoon, with police coming under fire from missiles.

Katie Tonkin Beardmore said some children were in tears

The dance show featured 297 children and although the youngest had left at half time, those caught up in the lockdown were as young as six.

SCDC had been due to perform three shows, and leaders became aware of the worsening situation in Hanley as the children were on stage during the second of those.

Ms Tonkin Beardmore said: "It was very tense for us, but we were trying to keep it cool for these guys because they were still dancing on that stage."

She said when the protests were heard outside "the doors were locked, security had everyone in one room together and the safety curtain came down".

As well as letting anxious parents know what was happening, organisers had to get people in and out to bring the children food and drinks.

She said it was "terrifying because we didn't know what was going on and we didn't know what to do".

One of the children, Eliza from Fenton, added: "It was really, really scary because I didn't know what to do and I felt really, really worried."

Craig Woodward said his daughter was updating him from inside the theatre

Parents faced an anxious wait until it was safe to collect their children.

One parent said protesters were marching shouting "save the kids", but that it was "kids like that who have been impacted by their actions".

Another parent Craig Woodward said: "I was just devastated because you're not here, you don't know what's happening, it's just scary."

He said he was able to communicate with his daughter, who had a phone, and was confident the theatre was a safe place to be.

"It's not fair and you just feel the disappointment of the children," he added.

There are hopes that another date can be found for a rescheduled final show and an online fundraising page has been set up to help the dance group with its costs.

Ms Tonkin Beardmore said: "I don't want to talk about how much money it's cost, because it's cost a lot."