A FORMER North-East dance teacher, who emigrated to New Zealand, has been honoured by the Royal Academy of Dance.

Joy Beadell ran a successful dance school in Darlington for more than 40 years, teaching hundreds of young hopefuls.

She was also an active member of the Darlington Operatic Society, and choreographed and produced shows for amateur dramatic societies in Ferryhill, Richmond, Stockton and Northallerton.

She later became director and then president of the society.

Ms Beadell emigrated to New Zealand in the late 1980s to be closer to her son, Eoin, and daughter, Fiona Woods, and within weeks of her arrival had set up a ballet school.

Her dedication to dancing has now been recognised by the Royal Academy of Dance, which has awarded her a Special President's Award to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Only three awards have been presented worldwide and all have gone to long-serving members of the academy.

Her daughter said: "As a family, we are all so very proud of her lifetime's achievements, both in England and New Zealand, and are thrilled that her devotion to the arts and dancing has been recognised.

"It takes a very special person to give up a successful career and move 12,000 miles across the world to New Zealand at the age of 70.

"She has since enjoyed following the success of many of her pupils, as well as using her talents in choreography and producing annual displays.

"In September 1997, she celebrated 50 years of teaching and only fully retired two years ago, at the age of 80."

Ms Beadell took up dancing after suffering a bad attack of scarlet fever as a child.

A doctor told her dancing could help her recovery and it soon became a way of life.

She was accepted for the Russian Ballet at 18 but, with war pending, her mother refused to let her leave London.

During the war, Ms Beadell formed the first concert party with entertainment corps ENSA and toured camps in the UK and France.

She met her husband, Dr John Bishop, during a week's show at the Empire Theatre, in Middlesbrough, and in 1947 the couple settled in Darlington and had three children, Billy, Eoin and Fiona.

In 1947, Ms Beadell's dance school was opened in Grange Road, Darlington, and the couple also joined the Darlington Operatic Society.

Dr Bishop died in 1963, and the couple's eldest child, Billy, died in Holland, in 1973.