A dance theatre which has been teaching youngsters in Oldham for more than three decades has announced it will close by the end of the month.

Dimensions Threatre Dance School, which tutors pupils at St Matthew's CofE Primary School on Chadderton Hall Road, has revealed it will teach its final class on Saturday, January 28 as it closes its doors for good.

Hilary Hinchcliffe and Susan Ferreira established the dance school in 1989 and in the past 34 years, the school has gone on to gain an "unsurpassed reputation and passion" in delivering high standards of dance tuition and classes for children of all abilities and ages from Year 3 and beyond.

Pupils who have been taught at Dimensions have had the opportunity to sit annual examinations with the  Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and United Kingdom of Dance (UKA) and some have gone on to work for renowned companies such as Disney, P&O Cruises and Repertory Theatre.

The theatre has also raised money through performing, supporting local causes such as Oldham Special Care Baby Unit as well as national charities such as Cancer Research UK, Help for Heroes and the British Heart Foundation.

However, in a post online, Susan announced at the start of 2023 that she will be leaving after more than three decades of teaching.

The post read: "After many months of pondering, I have made the hard decision to leave Dimensions Dance at the end of January 2023.

"For over 30 years I have had the privilege of teaching some of the most wonderful children and got to know many of their families.

"Our initial aim at Dimensions was to give everyone who walked through the door confidence and friendship in a fun, caring class.

"This I know for sure we definitely achieved."

'Miss Susan', as her pupils refer to her, went on to say that she will be leaving Dimensions with "so many happy memories" but said it "is time to move on".

She thanked students and their families for their support and friendship over the years.

In a follow-up post on Sunday, January 22, Dimensions Dance announced it will fully close by the end of this week.

Comments from families who have attended the classes have since been flooding in with parents writing that their children simply "loved" the classes and "fantastic" shows.

Another teacher, Laura Hinchcliffe, added: "It's been such a privilege to be part of this dance school, both as a dancer and a teacher. So many memories made for hundreds of young people."

Ms Hinchcliffe said she has seen "all the sacrifices" the staff have made with their dedication to the students and "hours of work behind the scenes".

Another woman said it was "a very sad day" but thanked the pair for "so many happy memories as a child and for the fondness of turquoise lycra".

"We have truly loved every minute. You have inspired so many young people to get on that stage and we have fantastic memories to look back on", wrote another.