Teenage dancer hopes to win Best of Hartlepool award

The Hartlepool 13-year-old has won seven major awards inside a year and even won a competition which was only open to all the top-level champions in the land.

Now she’s hoping to add to her victories by taking a Best of Hartlepool title. Proud mum Libby Griffiths, 44, said: “If she did that, it would be fabulous.”

Ellie, who is with the Val Armstrong School of Performing Arts based in Whitby Street South, won the Northern Counties Dance Teachers’ Association title, the Cleveland Championship, the White Rose event, the English Championship and the West Riding Championships in Doncaster.

She also won the Classique national award for theatre dance, and the climax was her success in the Champion of Champions competition in Blackpool, where she beat every other title winner in the country.

Libby, who is married to Darren, 44, and also mum to Will, 17, said: “She has achieved so much and it would be lovely for her to win something like a Best of Hartlepool Award.

“She works hard for what she does and she loves doing it.”

But Ellie’s talents lie not only in the dance world. She is a highly rated student at High Tunstall College of Science and has made an impression on Hartlepool Mail readers, who have nominated her for an award.

One nomination said: “Ellie has done amazing in all of her dancing this year but has excelled in her tap, winning numerous titles.” Another added: “She is a fantastic tap dancer and a lovely girl.”

The awards will honour unsung stars. We know there are heroes galore out there who are worthy of awards.

To nominate, visit http://www. jpne-events.co.uk

The Best of Hartlepool awards are being held in association with Niramax, and in which Specsavers are category sponsors.

The deadline for entries in the competition is Saturday, April 2. After that, judges will draw up a shortlist for each of the categories listed. And then it’s on to the grand finale, which will be held this year at the Hardwick Hall Hotel on Tuesday, April 26.