Britain's oldest ballerina achieves highest accolade

Britain's oldest ballerina has achieved the highest accolade possible from the Royal Academy of Dance as she celebrates her 81st birthday.

Barbara Peters, from Halifax in West Yorkshire, has received the top Grade Eight award for her renowned dance skills with a pass rate of 73 per cent with no concession made for her age.

The grandmother-of-eight's performance was granted the award 79 years after she started dancing at just two-year-old, and she credits the activity with helping her get over the death of her husband in 2011.

Amazingly, Barbara, who teaches young children ballet, did her exam on the same day that her granddaughter, Mia, 11, passed her Grade Two.