THE tradition of majorette dancing could return to Bolton if the town's only troupe can find vital sponsors.

When Rachael Jackson's regular dance troupe closed down four years ago, she and her mum Carole decided to form their own -- RJ's Majorettes.

Former Canon Slade pupil Rachael, aged 19, now teaches the dying art of baton twirling to nearly 50 youngsters between the ages of two and 18 every week at Somerset Road United Reformed Church.

The dancers perform regularly at council events, carnivals and fun days, raising hundreds of pounds for various charities.

Now they want to take the next step and are appealing for sponsorship to enable them to start entering national competitions.

The self-funding group is training hard and hopes the 20-strong eight-14s team will have reached competition standard by this time next year.

It is hoped that because of the RJ's Majorettes the competition will eventuallycome to Bolton.

Rachael said: "It's working really well and the dancers are really excited about it. We need to raise as much sponsorship as possible to pay for uniforms and travel.

"The competition travels around and each troupe takes turns in hosting it, which means eventually we will be the hosts, which would be fantastic."

Carole Jackson said: "My daughters have done it for years and really enjoyed it, that's why when their troupe closed we decided to start our own. Because it is a more traditional style of dancing, we never expected it to take off like it has. We would welcome any new members."

Anyone interested in sponsoring or joining RJ's Majorettes can contact Rachael or Carole on 01204 491707 or write to them at 20 Beverley Road, Heaton, Bolton, BL1 4DT.

TWIRLING GIRLS: Members of RJ's Majorettes who meetat Somerset Road United Reformed Church