An appeal has been put out for more people, especially children, to participate in the Looe Floral Dance.

Looe Lions organise the traditional dance through the town’s streets as part of the annual Looe Carnival Week in the summer.

A Lions spokesman said: “The Lions have put out a call for more participants to local groups as we would like to see the numbers grow. The dance isn’t in jeopardy.”

People of all ages, especially schoolchildren and young adults, are being invited to take part in the spectacle which has been part of Looe’s calendar for almost 100 years. 

There have been some concerns that falling numbers of participants might see the dance come to an end.

Looe West Cornwall Councillor Edwina Hannaford said: “The Lions have been organising the event for many years and do a great job. Loosing the event would be such a shame. It’s great fun and one of the cornerstones of the Looe events calendar as part of carnival week. 

“I have been doing the Furry Dance since I was five years old, so for almost 60 years. We call it Furry Dance in Looe not Floral Dance.

“My mother danced when she was a child in the 1930s.”

An old photograph, thought to be from 1938, shows Edwina’s mother Mary Shore dancing with her cousin Janette Dan. 

Edwina said: “The route has shortened even since I did it through the 1960s. We used to dance from Hannafore.

“It now starts from West Looe Square. 

“It’s a Cornish and Looe tradition that has seen less and less people taking part over the years. 

“I’d like to thank Looe Lions for taking the initiative in promoting the dance and getting behind this well-loved tradition. They have my full support.

“I encourage residents to get on their dancing shoes and join in. We need the whole town to get behind the Furry Dance."

Any schools, organisations or individuals who would like to take part in the Looe Floral Dance can telephone 01503 263066.