Strictly St Rocco’s raises £64,000 towards patient care

THE annual Strictly St. Rocco’s event raised a sparkling £60,000 towards patient care at the Warrington based hospice as 10 amateur dancers took to the floor.

More than 400 guests packed out the James Braid Suite at the Mere Golf Resort and Spa to watch the 10 amateurs take to the floor, accompanied by professional partners from Cadmans Dance School who helped them to show off their newly acquired dance skills.

As well as putting on a dazzling display of dance the volunteers, all drawn from local Warrington businesses and organisations, were encouraged to raise as much sponsorship as possible towards patient care at St. Rocco’s.

This year the audience was able to hear first-hand about the difference that support makes to patients and families when Chris Patino, whose wife was cared for by staff at St. Rocco’s last year, spoke about his family’s experience. Guests responded generously and over £64,000 was pledged, the highest amount ever for the event.

The dancers had worked incredibly hard and the high standard impressed the judges including Cadman’s new Principal, Victoria Bennett, Ralph Casson, Wayne Newhouse and last year’s winner, Rob Foden.

All the dancers achieved high scores but it was Chris Downey, General Manager at Catherine Street Motors and his professional partner, Holly Hewitt, who secured four tens for their exhilarating Charleston. It was down to the audience vote, however, combined with the judges’ scores, to determine who lifted the coveted glitterball trophy. In the event, the crowd agreed with the judges and Chris and Holly were crowned Strictly St. Rocco’s champions 2017.

Celebrations continued as the dancers were joined by the audience on the dance floor for a mass Merengue lesson led by Wayne Newhouse before dancing the night away to the sounds of the Chris O’Grady Roadshow.

“We’re over the moon with the response at this year’s Strictly St. Rocco’s,” said Fundraising Manager Lauren Tilston, “The dancers must be congratulated for their commitment and dedication, not only to learning to dance, but also for the fantastic amount they have raised through their sponsorship efforts. The audience has been incredibly generous and it is wonderful that we have raised more than ever before to help our patients and families. We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us in whatever way for this year’s event.”

As always, thoughts are already turning towards next year’s event so keep an eye out to see who will be in the Strictly St. Rocco’s spotlight in 2018!

Winners Chris and Holly

The full line up of amateur dancers, professional partners and dances were:
Sue Ashton, Director, Village Saddlery/Interstate Hotels dancing the Samba with professional partner Lewis Crowder
Carl Palmer, Managing Director, Urban Building Projects Ltd dancing the Salsa with professional partner Natalie Goodier
Liz Preston, CEO, Agility Logistics Solutions dancing the Waltz with professional partner Phil Holding
Martyn Grimley, Director, Warriner & Co dancing the Quickstep with professional dancer Asha Kahn
Stacey Higgins-Martin, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Zachary Daniels dancing the Jive with professional partner Paul Maguire
Chris Downey, Manager, Catherine Street Motors dancing the Charleston with professional dancer Holly Hewitt
Liliana Ciccarelli, St. Rocco’s Hospice dancing the Tango with professional partner Alex Whyatt
Andy Marsh, Senior Buyer, Countryside dancing the Paso Doble with professional partner Amy Hancock
Vicky Hewitt, Marketing Executive, Rybrook Jaguar dancing the American Smooth with professional partner Chris Millward
Jordan Moore, Financial Consultant, Deloitte dancing the Cha Cha Cha with professional partner Charlotte Litherland