Dr Kershaw’s Strictly Come Dancing raises £26K for patient care

Tuesday, 2 April 2024 09:35

Dr Kershaw’s Hospice recently hosted its own version of Strictly Come Dancing at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in Oldham.

After months of training and fundraising, five couples came together at the glitzy event, raising vital funds for patient care.

Dr Kershaw’s fabulous fundraisers had been training for many weeks to perfect their dance moves in a bid to be crowned Dr Kershaw’s Strictly 2024 Winners and presented with the coveted glitterball trophy. Each dance couple took to the dance floor to showcase their moves in front of an audience of 300 while also raising an incredible amount of money for the Hospice.

Following the theme of ‘A Night at the Movies,’ the dancers performed beautifully with a selection of showstoppers from Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia, Shrek, Mary Poppins, and The Greatest Showman. The night kicked off with a bang as the dance competitors, dressed as Pink Ladies and ‘T’-Birds, performed a Grease mega mix group dance.

The audience was also treated to a welcome drink on arrival, a three-course meal and live entertainment, including performances from Jayne Barnes School of Dance and from singer Denis Ferrige. Jeffrey Longmore, aka Dame Dolly and Tina Turner, was the perfect host and brought real fun and sparkle to the event. The standard was very high, and the guest judges had their work cut out, but Max Freeman and Leanne Bailey stole the show with their Dirty Dancing performance and took home the glitterball trophy!

Raising over £26,000 and counting to support patient care at the Hospice, the event proved to be a great success. Dr Kershaw’s team of ten dancers set a collective fundraising target of £10,000, and with further funds still to be added, the talented team are at 88% of their overall fundraising target with only £1,200 to hit their target. Along with ticket sales, a silent auction and a raffle on the night also brought in much-needed funds for the Hospice.

Dr Kershaw’s volunteer and retired Probation Officer, Lawrence O’Grady, who performed a foxtrot with Shereen Howarth, Managing Director of Cornerstone Estates & Lettings Ltd, said: “My late wife was cared for by Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, and I am so grateful to the Hospice Team for the care they provided. I signed up for Strictly to help raise funds for Dr Kershaw despite having two left feet!”

Last year’s Strictly finalists, James Ogborn and Natasha Barker, were on hand to present the Glitterball trophy to the 2024 winners. Natasha spoke about last year’s event and the care her parents received at Dr Kershaw’s:

“Both my mum and dad were cared for by the Hospice team within eight months of each other.

“What were difficult and emotional circumstances on both occasions were made far more bearable by Dr Kershaw's team. As a family, we were given the time to be with our parents without worrying if we were getting things right or if they were in pain; they just do what’s needed, whenever it's needed, with such genuine care and compassion. Not only did they care for our parents but for us, too. You don't know the importance of what Dr Kershaw does until you experience it firsthand like we did.

“Thats why I took part in this event last year, to try to express my gratitude for all that these absolute angels on earth, Dr kershaw’s do, and to pay it forwards in some way, in memory of my mum and dad.”

Director of Income Development & Marketing at Dr Kershaw’s, Rebecca Bentham, said: “I am so proud of each and every one of our dancers. They worked incredibly hard to learn their dance moves and put in so much extra work to raise as much funds as possible, which will enable us to support and care for our patients when they need our help the most. Thank you to everyone who supported us on the night.”

Dr Kershaw’s Strictly winner Leanne commented: “I have loved every minute of Dr Kershaw’s Strictly, and the fact that I exceeded my fundraising target on the night made me feel like I had given something back and made a difference to the Hospice. I saw how hard all the staff at Dr Kershaw’s work, including the volunteers, and I am proud to have been a part of it. I had the best partner, dance teachers, and choreographer!”

Dance Partner Max added, “Strictly was a great experience! The team that we had was amazing. The dedication could be seen from everyone when they performed. Everyone’s routine was different, and the standard of dance was very high. When we won, it was lovely, as all of our hard work had paid off. It is also amazing to hear how much money had been raised by doing this event.”