INSTEAD of a Sunday stroll it was a dance in the park.

Sedate music swept across tennis courts in a city park as Southampton's senior citizens stepped out for a tea dance - one of the high notes of the continuing Southampton Over-50s Festival.

The tennis court action was put on hold as line and sequence dancing became the match of the day.

So far the festival programme had been hit with unsettled weather. But the sun shone on the tea dancers.

Delighted with the response, festival chairman Norma Campbell said: "We put out 70 chairs and they have all been filled. We have even had people standing."

She said passers-by had been surprised to see dancing in a tennis court.

Norma said: "We have invited them in and some of them have joined us."

Making sure that the tea dance went with a swing was master of ceremonies David Trowbridge.

The older generation were treated to some high-stepping dance routines from the Southampton-based Belinda's Babes.

Norma said there had been a good response to all the festival events. The sequence ball, which is on Friday at The Guildhall, is already a ticket sell-out.