'You are never too old to party'

Gateshead's newest dance club is for over-65s only

A new dance venue has opened in Gateshead - but remember to take some ID because you have to be over 65 to get in.

Boomers is a collaboration with Age UK to help older people improve their health and fitness and to help combat isolation.

Organisers said it had been so popular they have had to extend opening times, and are looking for new venues to cope with demand.

Mike Dickson from Age UK Gateshead said people aged 65 and over were at risk of being socially isolated so "getting them out of the house was a big thing", adding: "You are never too old to party."

The club is proving so popular opening hours are being extended

Stepping into the new dance venue on Gateshead's High Street is like stepping into a nightclub.

The music is loud and light bounces off the glitter balls, while two DJs are on the decks.

Those on the dancefloor have their arms in the air and sing along to Holy Moly booming out of the speakers.

Many of the dancers are grandparents but as 74-year-old Denise says, grannies aren't what they used to be and her life is nothing like that of her own grandmother's.

At 74, Denise says her life is nothing like her grandmother's

Boomers was the idea of Luisa Scott from Gateshead, who came up with the scheme after organising a 76th birthday party for her mother at The Tynesider pub, which is run by her partner.

Ms Scott said the average age of the dancers was between 70 and 75 but some went up to their early 90s.

Having worked as a nurse in elderly care, she said she "knows the importance of socialising and keeping fit in your later years".

Day time discos like this are opening across the country, but Ms Scott believed her club's over-65 age limit might be one of the oldest.

The enthusiasm of those jiving away on the dancefloor is palpable and perhaps best summed up by 70-year-old Cath.

"Inside, I'm still 20," she says, adding: "I just feel the same as I did years ago."