‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fever hit Leicestershire late last month, with £6,500 raised as a result of the glitzy, charity competition.
The competition took place at Birstall’s Cedars Academy, on Saturday, October 22, to raise funds for ‘Living Without Abuse’ (LWA) an organisation which offers advice and support to anyone in the area affected by domestic and/or sexual violence.
Five couples took part in the competition, practicing their routines for several weeks ahead of the glitzy Glitterball Finale.
However, it was Leicester’s Cathy Kelly and her professional partner Steve Toone who raised the trophy on the night, wowing the judges with an Argentine Tango and an energetic Rock ‘n’ Roll routine.
“I’m absolutely over the moon to have won the LWA Strictly. I never expected to win!” said Cathy, who is a longtime fan of the BBC’s ‘real’ Strictly Come Dancing show.
“I was so nervous coming into the competition – it’s an amazing feeling to have won and such great fun. I shall definitely continue dancing,” she added.
“I just love the real Strictly. The professional dancers make the moves look so easy and effortless – which I now know aren’t!”
Asked about her reasons for taking part, Cathy said: “Along with raising money for the Living Without Abuse charity, I thought the competition sounded great fun – which it has been, and my dance partner Steve and I have had a few giggles along the way putting the routine together.
“The whole thing has been an amazing experience and I’ve met a wonderful group of new friends in the other dancers.”
in order to win the LWA Strictly competition, which is now in its fifth year, Cathy and Steve performed an Argentine Tango to Por Una Cabeza and a Rock ‘n’ Roll routine to ‘Run Around Sue.’
As a result of the evening, £6,500 was raised for Living Without Abuse, which is based in Loughborough.
In 2020/21, the charity supported 3,160 adults and 5,730 children who had experienced abuse.
According to the charity, 1 in 4 women, and 1 in 6 men experience abuse in their lifetime, whether it’s physical, mental, emotional, financial or one of the many other types.
Money raised through the LWA’s Strictly dance event, will be used to help support those experiencing abuse across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
“We’ll be back in 2023 for our sixth Strictly and invite anyone who fancies stepping out on the dance floor, or indeed volunteering to support this or one of our many other events to contact LWA,” said Emily Corrigan, Head of Fundraising at LWA.
To find out more about LWA, visit: https://lwa.org.uk/
If you need support, you can contact the charity by calling 0808 08 200 28.
