From war rooms to dance routines - the secret past of Leighton Buzzard's Little Luvvies

Emma and Mark Whittemore invited local MP Alex Mayer to their studio to watch young performers rehearse ahead of their upcoming charity show to raise funds for local charity Spectrum Community Arts and discuss the building’s history.

Tucked down a narrow alley just off the high street, it was purpose built by the Ministry of War, just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

It was designed to take over if Q Central, Britain’s underground communications centre at RAF Leighton Buzzard, was bombed, destroyed or discovered.

Having discovered their building’s secret wartime past, its current owners, Emma and Mark Whittemore, named it Q Place.

Each week Little Luvvies holds ballet, tap and drama classes for children from the age of 20 months upwards at Q Place.

Emma Whittemore, said: “We’d spent 24 years teaching dance in church halls and sports centres. When this building came up for sale, we knew it would be a fantastic space for the children and the community.

“At first, we didn’t realise the building’s wartime history. But once we started learning about it, we realised how special it was – which is why we chose the name Q Place. Now we have eight different hirers using the space alongside our dance classes, yoga and community activities.

“A lot of the businesses who hire the space are women – which feels particularly fitting given that many of the people coordinating operations at Q Central during the war were women too.”

Alex Mayer said: "Emma and Mark have created a wonderful welcoming space here and it was great to meet the girls rehearsing. But there are still gaps in what we know about Q Central’s even lesser-known reserve site.

"When we unveiled the Q Central plaque, a number of people whose grandmas had served there got in touch with me, and their stories were fascinating. It would be wonderful if anyone has photographs, documents or personal stories they would be willing to share.

“The role played by women in Leighton Buzzard during the war is an important part of the town’s history. Their intelligence, determination and quiet dedication were essential to the war effort and their story deserves to be told.”

During the Second World War, Q Central was the largest telephone exchange in the world. The 5,000 women who worked there operated over 1,100 teleprinters which were crucial in operations including D Day and the Battle of Britain.

Little Luvvies was founded in 2002 by Emma Whittemore following her successful musical theatre career performing in the West End and internationally.