Ray has a track record of getting people moving in a fun way and delivers his Sway with Ray sessions in various locations across Liverpool.
In 2019 the Liverpool Echo wrote a lovely piece about one of his Sway'ers, John Tattersall and how Ray's sessions got him moving again. John said "I've been living in my retirement flat for 10 years. It can be a bit insular." John's family started to notice his mood changing. He said: "The more you stay in the more depressed you get. I've never been treated for it, but it's an underlying emotion that a lot of people won't admit that they have. If you want to stay in you can stay in, but then you don't know what life is like outside." He said: "I'm 72. When you get to that age people seem to think you can cope because you've had experiences in life, but you can't."
At first, John was nervous about being the only man in the dance classes. He said: "You can't imagine how I felt when I first went to that club. It was all women, I felt embarrassed. I thought - there's 30 odd women in here, I'll make a show of myself. I've got two left feet. But if Ray can do it, I'm going to do it as well, so I went right round the back and did the best I could. It's changed my life."
To read the full Liverpool Echo article click here!
Sway with Ray caters for a variety of ages those taking part are invited to stay after to socialise and talk about their lives.
Ray is keen to encourage other older adults, particularly men, to get out of their comfort zone and find comfort from dancing.
