With Angela Rippon announcing she is joining Strictly Come Dancing as its oldest contestant at 78, one Ipswich woman has her beat – and the group is going on tour this autumn.

Pam Candler will be 82 when Ipswich group EncoreEast premieres Home from Home, an hour-long dance work featuring 44 older dancers, in October.

The cast celebrates older people dancing and challenges traditional views of age, as well as what dance can be.

The work’s creative director is Protein Dance’s Luca Silvestrini, and The Place in London will be one of their tour destinations.

Ms Candler was one of the founders, is the treasurer and is the oldest member of the group, which has been going for some years and creates and performs for live, screen and online audiences.

She does a range of classes, volunteers with Dance for Parkinson’s, and moved home to be nearer to DanceEast, on Ipswich Waterfront, to dance more.

Ipswich Star: EncoreEast will tour in Home from Home this autumn. Pam Candler is front leftEncoreEast will tour in Home from Home this autumn. Pam Candler is front left (Image: Roswitha Chesher)

Ms Candler said: “We have a very wide age range of dancers and we are aware that some of us won't keep going forever and ever.

“We have been able to invite people with talent to teach us and we have been much more challenged, and we like it. Sometimes it is hard work, and you wonder how you are going to do the next day, but you do.

“We're going to The Place in London and that is really exciting for us.”

Home from Home will premiere at DanceEast in Ipswich on October 14, and then tour to Norwich Playhouse on October 19, and The Place in London on October 21.

Home from Home is devised and produced by EncoreEast, supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, co-commissioned by EncoreEast, DanceEast, The Place and Norwich Theatre.