A GREENOCK dance troupe gave themselves a 'cheer' as they celebrated one year in the business.

Competitive cheer team ICE Allstars was launched last year by local dancers Stef Hood and Chloe Farmer.

Stef, who has been dancing since 1993, dreamed of setting up her own dance school - so she teamed up with Chloe to create classes for dancers of all abilities.

Despite facing a tough inaugural year due to Covid-19, the dancing duo overcame restrictions and offered youngsters free classes both online and then latterly in local parks to keep spirits high.

Now, with restrictions easing, they are delighted to be in their new home at George Square Studios with over 20 members attending classes each week.

Stef told the Tele: "It's been an amazing first year and we've managed to do so many of the things we wanted to and more despite the fact we were dealing with Covid-19.

"We have established our own competition team and have started to make preparations for our first proper competitions next year.

"We couldn't do what we do without the support of the parents and the commitment from the young people."

Throughout the lockdown periods, the team went online - offering free classes and activities such as quizzes to young people.

When outdoor meetings were allowed to take place, the kind-hearted coaches offered in-person classes for free too.

Chloe said: "We operate as a charity, so keep costs to a minimum to make our classes accessible.

"As we had no cost for hall hire, we didn't charge anyone to come to the class.

"We keep our costs as low as possible and fundraise to allow us to subsidise things, such as being able to offer the team training kits for just £10.

"We were also incredibly fortunate to receive funding from Stephen Connon at Inverclyde BB, which helped us pay for things such as a sound system, training courses, ankle weights and kit for the team.

"Our main focus is creating opportunities for as many people as possible."

*To find out more visit facebook.com/ICECheer.