The Rotary Club of Ely welcomed Sara Ford as its guest speaker last week.

Sara Ford, a small business mentor, founder of 4D dance and Fresh in the Broad Street, spoke to Rotarians at the Ely Bowls Club on February 29. 

Ford, who also contributes to the Ely Standard and FenScene, is responsible for organising the Arena Schedule on Lavender Green for the Rotary’s Aqaufest.

A major crowd pleaser, Aquafest is a free event held on the first Sunday in July covering two sites along the riverside, Lavender Green and Jubilee Gardens.

Sara is passionate about dance and the community of Ely, with several 4D dance schools available in the area.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, 4D aims to “keep the love of dance and performance alive” in its students.

Although 4D offers high quality dance and performance training it is not competitive, and young dancers encourage each other.

Viv Doji, president of the Rotary Club of Ely, said: "Sara has strived to make a dance family in which everyone is respected and valued. 4D dance has won many prestigious awards.  Past members of 4D dance have gone on to become dance teachers and study dance at university. 

“Meanwhile, at Fresh there are a comprehensive range of classes on offer for all members of the community such as Pilates and Yoga, and Sara works with ECDC to encourage older people to live well. There is a café at Fresh and they have now added a hairdresser.

"Some of our club members were very interested in joining Fresh for classes. Sara is also organising a Dance Fest at Ely Rugby Club on May 25 to celebrate 10 years of Fourth Dimension, which our members will be supporting. 

The Rotary Club of Ely have a programme of inviting exciting and interesting local speakers, such as James Bowman from Fenland Flag, and James Stevens of Cambridge Commodities. 

She added: “Sara is an excellent ambassador for Ely and her love for teaching dance and the community shines through."