Cathy Macpherson, a 63-year-old retired housing officer, spoke to Sheffield Rise during their Halloween event about how a dance organisation in Gleadless changed her life.
Due to her Parkinson’s disease, Ms Macpherson would fall frequently, up to five times a month, and could hardly walk.
After travelling to the regular classes from her home town in Chesterfield, Cathy has seen a remarkable improvement in her mobility and has not fallen since. She has also noticed a significant improvement in her mental health.
“It’s a massive thing because I was very depressed, very low, and I felt very isolated.
I said I’d give it a try and I’ve never looked back. It’s marvellous and it’s changed my life really.”
Tracey Barnes, the managing director of Dancing for Health CIC, has run the classes and witnessed her transformation.
“It’s not just teaching a dance class. Cathy has reversed some of the conditions of the disease and it’s given her life back.
“When you watch back the videos of when she first started, you can see the massive differences in how she can move now, it’s just inspirational.”
Ms Barnes started the dance classes in Gleadless after covid when she received funds from the National Lottery. The money was used for delivering sessions to the community free of charge but is now entirely self-funded.
“Some people might walk with a frame and think they might not be able to dance again. Our main aim is to make dancing inclusive – that’s at the heart of what we do.”
Fostering a sense of community within the programme has also been a big focus for the organisation. People come to the classes for each other as much as for the dancing.
Cathy said that the classes give her the opportunity to talk about her Parkinson’s with others and this has made her feel less isolated and understand her condition better.
She now enjoys socialising with her fellow participants and volunteers. This week, the class has held a Halloween special for their clients to dance and play musical bingo.
“It’s also like a social thing; we chat and have a drink afterward. It’s a really lovely community.”
The company’s website can be found here.