A dance school which has been part of March for over 65 years has closed.

The Vera Frances School of Dance, which held dance classes at St Mary’s Church Hall, March, announced the closure on its Facebook page.

“It is with much sadness that we must inform you that, due to the continuing effects of the Covid pandemic and the need to look after Miss Frances, we have been forced to take the very hard decision to close the school permanently.”

The post explained that the school needed to be completely restructured to comply with the safety measures set out by the government and relevant dancing governing bodies.

“... we have neither the time nor financial resources to implement everything that is required” it said.

The Vera Frances School of Dance first opened in London in 1947 following Miss Frances’ seven-year career as a child actress. In 1953, the school moved to East Anglia and opened in March.