Strictly Ballroom charity night raises £20,500

1st April 2015

Local independent charity gets a boost from Strictly Come Dancing inspired events.

On Sunday 29th March, St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice hosted Strictly Kidz and Strictly Ballroom, two dance inspired fundraisers that raised £20,500. Both events were held at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre and saw over 760 people attend.

Strictly Kidz raised over £7,500 from 23 couples aged 7-16 years who battled it out to be crowned the Strictly Kidz champions. Each pairing performed the Paso Doble and Cha-Cha-Cha before Isla Rose Perkins (10) and Samuel True (10) lifted the trophy.

Isla said:

“Strictly Come Dancing is one of my favourite programmes to watch and I have always wanted to take part in something similar myself. I never thought that I would win. It was a real shock when I heard my name announced. I was shaking but so excited!”

In its triumphant return, the fifth annual Strictly Ballroom raised £13,000 with 22 couples performing the Melody Foxtrot and Jive. A sold-out audience watched as Richard Fogg and Lisa Sandland-Taylor danced their way to victory.

Richard said:

“The past 11 weeks have been a real pleasure as we got to grips with the dance routines and got to know our fellow dancers. The whole experience has been fantastic and winning is simply the icing on the cake.

“I would recommend taking part in Strictly Ballroom to anyone and I am already thinking about signing up again for next year.”

The winners of Strictly Kidz and Strictly Ballroom were decided by a combination of an audience vote and scoring by a judging panel, which consisted of; Aggi Doughty, winner of Strictly Ballroom 2011 and 2012 and Andrew Pigg and Ursula Barker, dance instructors from Premier Dance.

Becky Otter, Events Manager for St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, said:

“I am absolutely astounded by the support from our local community who have helped us to raise such an incredible amount. Both events brought the heart and soul of our local community together through music, dance and fun.

“All of our participants demonstrated real willing and determination throughout our Strictly events to learn the dance routines and to put on a show stopping performance. I am immensely proud of each and every one of them who made the shows such a resounding success.

“Our aspiration is to help our patients and their families make the most of every single second they share, regardless of how much time remains. It is money raised from events like these that can turn our aspirations into reality.”

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