Tributes have been paid to a tutor who taught thousands of children how to dance.

Annie Clegg, 87, started teaching youngsters in her living room in 1945 and 44 years later she was teaching 400 pupils a week at the Anne Cummings School of Dance in Church Street, Accrington.

Annie passed away on Tuesday, March 31 at Mapleford Nursing Home after a two-year fight with dementia.

Husband of 60 years Tony Clegg, 93, said that he was ‘incredibly proud’ of his wife who had achieved ‘so much’ in her life.

Tony, a retired maths teacher, said: “Annie was always interested in theatre, she went on the stage at the age of 12. She was performing in London, but when war broke out her parents felt it wasn’t safe and brought her back to Accrington.

“She learnt how to dance and then went on to start teaching ballet, tap, modern and disco dancing to 400 people a week for 44 years. She’s taught generations of dancers.”

In a short autobiography left to Annie’s family the former dance tutor said that teaching was a way to escape a ‘humdrum’ office life, she added: “I loved the children and the many adults whom I taught.”

In 1989 Annie sold her dance school and went on to pursue her second passion in life, Philosophy.

She started studying for a degree in Philosophy at the age of 62 at Lancaster University and went on to complete a PhD.

Tony said: “After completing her PhD she went on to write two novels and self publish them. Her first one was called My Pen and I, which tells the story of a struggling writer.

“The second is called Just Tim and is about a young boy who copes with the imprisonment of his mother.

“Annie lived a full and productive life and a very interesting one, we had a very interesting life together.”

The couple first met in 1945 when they were both returning from Manchester to Accrington on a bus and the only spare seat for Annie was next to Tony.

He said: “There was one seat next to me and she walked into my life and never left.

“I am very sad, but we had a great life together and the dementia was causing her pain.

A funeral service will be held at St Huberts RC Church in Great Harwood on Thursday, April 9.