Dancercise queen Dot Bremner is Community Champion of the Year at Moray and Banffshire Heroes
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AT the age of 83, Dot Bremner has more energy and enthusiasm than ever when it comes to encouraging older peole to keep moving.
The qualified fitness instructor has provided dancercise classes for the over-60s for years, visiting Be Active Life Long (BALL) groups across Moray and Sing Exercise and Tea (SET) groups too.
Dot, from Elgin, only became a fitness instructor at the age of 75 but she has no plans to stop any time soon, despite being registered blind and deafness, and some other health issues.
Her passion saw her crowned Community Champion of the Year at the Moray and Banffshire Heroes Awards on Thursday night in the Mansefield Hotel in Elgin. Lidl sponsored the award.
Dot said: "That was absolutely fantastic, I can't believe it. I just enjoy myself.
"When you do things you gain energy, and activity gives you energy. I am hoping to run a workshop in a couple of weeks to teach some of the BALL groups my simple routines so they can do them.
"It is to make older people feel useful and worthwhile. I think you can get to a certain age and you maybe start to feel a bit useless."
However, Dot said age is just a number and everyone can remain active and inspired in later life.
Proceeds from her classes go to charity and she has raised more than £8000 for the North East Sensory Services, which supports people with sight problems and deafness.
"I haven't been out recently as I have a couple of health problems, but I hope to get out from Easter about twice a week."
Dot was the oldest person on her fitness instructor's course by at least 30 years, but she said people were very kind to "Granny Dot" as they called her.
"I still had to reach the standard, I couldn't just walk through it. I did another qualification the following year in seated exercise.
"It's good fun and I meet so many super folk. I enjoy it and it keeps me young as well."
Dot said winning the award was the "icing on the cake".
