Hirer Q&A with Gill Bradley...

Gill Bradley, Founder, Crystal Cats Line Dancing

What is the nature of the club you run?

I run Crystal Cats Line Dancing. I started my club exactly fourteen years ago with the aim of offering a friendly, lively dance class, and we’re still going strong today!

How long have you been hiring school facilities?

We were the first ever hirers at Caroline Chisholm School fourteen years ago. I can remember going round the school just after it had been built and before it had opened, so the kids weren’t even there yet! We started in the dance studio upstairs at the school with four or five dances and have since moved to the main hall in the school. It was a bit daunting when we first set up in there but I’m pleased to say we quickly filled it.

Has hiring facilities helped your club to grow?

When we ran our first class we had twenty-six members and we’ve gone from strength to strength since then to get to where we are today. We now have around seventy members on the books, including six founder members who were with me on the day I started.

Tell us about a special event or occasion for the club: 

Every year we do something special for our anniversary, and this year we have a professional singer coming to perform for us who won Line Dance Artist of the Year. As soon as you become involved with line dancing you realise it’s really quite popular here in the UK and also abroad. There’s a real community feel to it, it’s lovely.

What is your experience of working with Kajima Community?

Our experience with the school and with Kajima Community has been absolutely brilliant from the outset. The team has changed a few times since we started but they’ve all been fantastic people, and they’ve always supported the club and set everything up right for us. Currently Dean and Rob look after the hall on a Monday, both of whom I cannot fault – we are very lucky!

Even the sixth form students from the school, who help with setting up before classes, are excellent – Kajima always seem to choose the best people! The main team at Kajima are also great, like Harry, who is always asking what we need and how they can help. I really can’t say anything bad about them and I look forward to continue working with them in the future.

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