Dance Club Finds a New Home at The Granby Care Home’s Ballroom

After facing eviction from their long-standing venue, St George’s Dance club has found a new and welcoming home at The Granby Care Home, where they will continue their tradition of community dance in the home’s beautifully preserved ballroom.

The dance club, with roots stretching back to the early 1940s, began as a Post Office Social Club before becoming St George’s Sports & Social Club, later operating under the Ministry of Defence. At its height, the club served a membership of over 2,500 and played a central role in the social lives of MOD employees and the wider Harrogate community. Despite a devastating fire in 1978, the club was rebuilt larger and stronger, remaining a cherished community institution.

Over the years, changes in ownership and land use posed ongoing challenges. In late December 2024, the group received final notice that the site had been sold, and all legal efforts to remain had reached an end. Their last dance at St George’s fittingly took place on St George’s Day, April 23rd, 2025.

Determined to keep the spirit of the club alive, the committee had already been in conversation with The Granby Care Home, whose management enthusiastically welcomed the group into their historic ballroom — a space that once hosted black-tie dinner dances and live bands when The Granby operated as a hotel in the 1970s.

“For our Chairman, Paul Howard, returning to The Granby is especially meaningful,” said a spokesperson for the club. “As the former singer of The Hunters — The Granby’s resident band in the early ’70s — this partnership feels like a full-circle moment.”

The dance group remains vibrant, with active members from Harrogate and beyond, and looks forward to growing in a “controlled and measured way” as they settle into their new home.

The Granby Care Home, known for its strong community values and support for intergenerational engagement, is proud to be the venue that helps continue this remarkable local legacy.

This partnership marks not only a fresh chapter for the dance group but also a meaningful connection between generations, keeping traditions alive in a modern setting.

Let’s keep dancing!