85-year-old care home resident takes to the dancefloor to revisit his ballroom days

An 85-year-old care Essex care home resident who ‘never thought he would dance again’ was delighted to take an unexpected step onto the dancefloor in the UK’s home of ballroom.

Jack Sargant, who lives at Care UK’s Colne View in Essex, was a keen ballroom dancer in his younger days but, after his wife sadly passed away, he thought his dancing days were over.

Childhood sweethearts, Jack and his wife, Sheila, met when they were just 12-years-old and began a blossoming friendship – as well as a shared passion for ballroom dancing. After being introduced to dancing as teenagers, the pair quickly fell in love with the sport and practiced together for three years before Jack joined the army, aged 18. When he returned, the pair took up classes together again and began competing. 

Together, Jack and Sheila won 30 medals for a variety of ballroom dance styles, including a gold for Latin American – with the Rumba being Jack’s favourite. The happy couple also spent a lot of time travelling to countries such as Egypt, China and India, where they enjoyed continuing to dance and learning the local routines.

Jack said: “I remember being in China and naturally we were dancing to a lot of Chinese music. We’d learned a lot about the culture, and I wanted to share something from us too, so I started playing an Irish song on the spoons – everyone loved it and started dancing along too!”

Determined to help Jack rekindle his love for dancing, the team at Colne View with the help of My Home Life Essex Community Association’s Friends and CC Dance Studios, arranged for Jack to attend the Grand National Final of the Junior Ballroom Championships at Blackpool Winter Gardens.

Commenting on the experience, Jack said: “The day was beyond wonderful, it brought back so many happy memories of dancing with Sheila.

“It was wonderful to watch the youngsters dance and see how much passion and style they already have at such a young age. It was a dream come true to visit Blackpool – my favourite part was definitely getting up on the dancefloor!

“I never thought I’d dance like that again so to have the opportunity to do so, and in one of the country’s most famous ballrooms, was incredible – everyone made the day so special and even clapped for me when I turned up in my finery!”

The visit was part of the home’s Wishing Tree initiative, which encourages residents to put wishes forward, allowing them to reconnect with a past hobby or try something completely new – from flying a plane to enjoying a fish and chip supper, no wish is too big or small.

Monica Boldeata, Home Manager at Colne View, said: “Everyone here at Colne View knows how much Jack and Sheila loved to dance together. When the team learned that Jack thought his dancing days were over, they were determined to prove to him that he could still put his dancing shoes to good use.

“Our Wishing Tree initiative is a great way for residents to share their dreams and passions, and it’s incredibly rewarding to be able to make these a reality. Jack had a wonderful day – he was in his element and it was incredible to see his talent on the dancefloor.

“I’d like to extend a big thank you to the team here at the home, as well as to CC Dance Studios for helping organise such a meaningful trip for Jack – he’s been waltzing round the home ever since!”

Colne View is a care home designed to deliver the very best standards of care, and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home offers a range of services including residential care, residential dementia care and respite care.