LILIAN Eaves travelled the North West, entertaining hundreds with her award-winning dance troupe.
Last week, 32 years after her death, former dancers held a reunion to honour their “remarkable” tutor.
The nostalgic evening was held at Chester County Sports Club and displayed old photos and cine film to around 55 former pupils spanning the generations.
Carol Cooil, 54, of The Ridings, Saughall, who helped organise the event, has spent months tracking down women from across the country.
“It was a lovely evening. We played all the old music which really got people going.”
Some of the women who attended the event danced with the troupe from the beginning while others were still dancing until its final days in the 1980s.
Mrs Cooil was two years old when she started dancing with the troupe. She said: “It was such a wonderful time. Every Saturday during the carnival season, we used to get on a coach and go off.
“The circus routine was famous in our little world. We always used to win with that one.
Miss Eaves died on Easter Sunday 1979, aged 82.
She started the troupe when she was just 16 years old during World War One, making costumes from the only thing available, black out material.
Miss Eaves donated all the prize money as well as profits from the annual concerts held at Chester Town Hall. She even paid for those children whose parents couldn’t afford for them to dance.
Mrs. Cooil said: “Nobody ever knew that happened, we’re only finding out now. We thought she was very stern but had 100 girls to keep in line.
“She was an incredibly remarkable lady.”
