First dance for Britain's 'oldest cheerleaders'

A group that believes it is Britain's oldest cheerleading group has completed its first public show.

The Mayfield Bells are made up exclusively of women between the age of 70 and 87 from Mayfield Retirement Village in Watford.

Marilyn Sylvester, who is turning 82 in January, started the group after watching the 2019 Diana Keaton film Poms on Netflix, where a group of retired women start a cheerleading squad.

On Saturday the group, dressed in black Santa hats and wearing pom-poms, performed to an audience at the Harlequin shopping centre in the town.

Ms Sylvester said: "When the film finished, I just thought, you know what? We could do this. And we're doing it.

"It's never too late to start a new hobby, it's good for you and we laugh - and laughing is the best, best tonic for everybody."

The squad had about eight weeks of rehearsal time before BBC Three Counties Radio secured them a stage at the shopping centre.

Before the show the squad had been nervous people would not turn up, but many of those in the shopping centre stopped to watch and film the squad on their phones.

After coming off stage Ms Sylvester said she was "elated and very emotional" with how it went.

"Who would've thought from a soppy idea like that it would get so well known and people would want to see us," she said.

"It might make us famous being in here."

When it was suggested the group audition for Britain's Got Talent she said: "They've got terrible acts there so we'd fit in really well - we could even win it! We could!"

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