Ballet IS MAKING ME BETTER

DESPITE HER ARTHRITIS, MARGARET IS BACK ON THE DANCE FLOOR

- Ruth McCarthy

Margaret Sugden can't stop smiling when she thinks back at her favourite childhood pastime.

"I loved ballet as a little girl and always looked forward to dance class,' Margaret, 69, tells New Idea.

"Yet, as you get older, aches and pains slowly creep up on you. You're less mobile and unable to do things you used to love to do.

" Even when Margaret retired, she still enjoyed tap-dancing classes. Sadly, as she entered her late fifties, arthritis reared its ugly head in her knees, left shoulder and fingers. Eventually Margaret was diagnosed with osteoarthritis.