WHEELCHAIR users in West Devon are being encouraged to move to the beat and join others for 'wheelchair dancing'. Former Tavistock mayor and wheelchair user Marjorie Corner leads classes in wheelchair dancing once a week in Plymouth and wants more people from the area to get involved. She teaches classes in structured dances such as the waltz, quickstep and samba which are adapted for wheelchair users, plus dances for groups. Marjorie has been wheelchair dancing for a number of years, having taken part in a lot of international folk dancing before progressive Multiple Sclerosis led, from 1995, to her becoming increasingly dependent on a wheelchair. She said: 'I used to do a lot of dancing on my feet, so it was a great joy for me to discover wheelchair dancing — it is a fun way of making friends. 'If you are in a manual chair it is great exercise and it helps to develop your skills in the use of your chair whether manual or powered. 'It also encourages you to get out and about and is something anyone can do whether you are in a manual chair, a power chair or have a chair controlled by someone else.' Marjorie recently took part in an international wheelchair dancing competition in Manchester with partner Claire Goater from Peter Tavy, where they were awarded fourth and fifth place out of around 50 competitors. 'We just happened to be partners but put together at the last minute, so Claire and I scrambled to get something together and got the fourth and fifth place medals,' said Marjorie. 'Our group as a whole also got a trophy for our group dance.' Marjorie is now keen for more people to get involved and join her classes at the Life Centre once a week. The class that Mrs Corner instructs is currently held on a Wednesday afternoon from 2.30pm to 4.30pm, but she is in the process of possibly changing the session to a more accessible time, such as late afternoon on a Saturday. She said: 'If you are in a wheelchair it is worth trying, I always say not to worry if you go wrong —the main thing is that it is great fun.' For more information about the classes contact Marjorie Corner on 01822 615034.