A dance teacher who taught hundreds of Hale pupils at three different schools has passed away.

Margaret Finlay taught hundreds of Hale dance pupils over nearly 20 years.

Her career first began after she followed in the footsteps of her parents in the Southern Light Opera Company in Edinburgh, putting on shows such as Show Boat and The Gondoliers.

She opened her first dance school in 1972, in her own home in Greater London.

She then moved up to the Hale area in 1990, when she opened the Hale School of Dancing in Hale Methodist Church Hall and began to give ballet lessons to pupils at Richmond House Nursery.

She also taught at All Saints Parish Church in Hale Barns.

Over her teaching and dancing years, she taught children ballet tap, as well as adult tap.

She put many pupils in for their exams, all of them gaining passes and many achieving merits, distinctions and honours.

Her daughter, Elaine, said there were plenty of ‘highly entertaining’ shows with many parents helping out by making an ‘array of colourful costumes for each production’.

Her daughter also said that many of her adult tap pupils, as well as her pianist, became her lifelong friends.

Mrs Finlay taught for a total of 36 years, with half of that time being in Hale.

Reluctantly, Mrs Finlay finally hung up her dancing shoes at the age of 75.

However, Elaine said her love of dance remained with her and a big part of her life, until she passed peacefully at the age of 90, on July 21.

She was married to her husband, Jim, and had three children, Keith, Elaine and Gill.

She was also the loving grandma of Emily-Rose, Jamie, Ellen and Jenna, and adoring great grandma of Max and Finlay.

As well as her love of dance, Mrs Finlay enjoyed singing in her choir, gardening and travelling, especially in her birthplace of Scotland.

Mrs Finlay’s family would like to invite those who wish to help celebrate her life to join them at Altrincham Methodist Church on Barrington Road on Monday August 12, at 12.30pm.

They expressed that they would only like flowers to be purchased by the family but that anyone who wants to donate can make donations to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.