Pictured receiving the 4 blocks of the dance floor are Mrs Grew and her four grandchildren, together with Mark Watkins from St. Modwen(l-r) Olivia Hill (8), Rachel Lewis (16), Mark Watkins, Senior Development Surveyor at St. Modwen, Mrs Alana Grew, Joshua Hill (10) and Alex Lewis (18)

St. Modwen, the developer behind the £50 million Hednesford Gateway development, has gifted part of the original dance floor from the Aquarius Community / Dance Hall to Cannock resident Alana Grew, whose late husband Geoff laid the flooring.

The dance floor was laid by Geoff Grew and his brother Ron in the early 1980s. Reputed at the time to be one of the finest dance floors in the country, a 10 sq m feature area of the original floor is being relocated and preserved within the new 250 sq m dance floor being constructed at the new Aquarius Community / Dance Hall.  

Hearing about the dance floor's relocation Mrs Grew contacted St. Modwen to request four of the dance floor blocks for her four grandchildren. Specialists under the guidance of contractor Prosurv and St. Modwen have since removed an extra four blocks from the original dance floor and gifted them to Mrs Grew and her grandchildren aged from 8-18 years.

"It is lovely to have a memento of my late husband's work," commented Mrs Grew. "Alongside Geoff and his brother laying the floor, we also went dancing at the old ballroom and I have many happy memories of that time. When I heard the building was being demolished I immediately contacted St. Modwen to see if I could have a piece of our history to share with the grandchildren. I am delighted that four blocks have been saved just for us and also that part of the original floor which Geoff laid will be featured within the new Aquarius building. I hope the redevelopment of Hednesford gives the town the boost that it needs to get back on its feet and I am looking forward to seeing the new dance floor when it is completed."

Mark Watkins, development surveyor for St. Modwen commented: "So many interesting local stories have come to our attention as a result of the Hednesford Gateway redevelopment and we were thrilled when Mrs Grew got in touch with us and shared her family's association with the dance hall.  In its heyday, the dance floor was the pride of Hednesford and Mr Grew's craftsmanship is still clearly evident in the quality of the original floor which will now become a feature within the new Aquarius building. It is a pleasure to be gifting these floor blocks to Mrs Grew and her grandchildren who are all clearly very proud of the important role which Mr Grew has played in the history of both the old and new dance hall."

Delivered in partnership with Cannock Chase Council, Hednesford Gateway will see the comprehensive redevelopment of Hednesford town centre, designed to deliver a prosperous new future to the town. Committed to supporting the existing local community, phase one of the development includes a 10,000 sq ft new Aquarius Community/Dance Hall including a main hall with stage and dance floor, bar, function room and changing rooms. The new Aquarius Community/Dance Hall will be completed by Winter 2012.