Strictly St Rocco's tops last years total with whopping £70k raised

The goal was to raise as much money as possible for the hospice in Warrington.

On Sunday, December 10, the dance floor was alive with dancers and their partners as the event got under way at Nunsmere Hall in Tarporley.

Each contender was paired with a professional dancer, and they were all assigned a routine to learn.

Weeks of training led up to the big night underneath the glitter ball.

Out of the talented duos, Laura Appleton, a trainee manager at Chisholm Hunter, danced her way to the winning spot and was crowned Strictly champion.

All the contestants this year (Image: Supplied)
Followed by runner up Steph Houghton, a social media director from real5 Digital.

The incredible event managed to raise an outstanding £70,000 for the Hospice – topping the total raised last year.

Senior events manager at St Rocco’s, Charlotte Howard, said: “Strictly St Rocco’s is our biggest event of the year, and we love seeing how committed our dancers are. 

“This money will help fund patient care at our hospice and will help us look after anyone in our Warrington community who is facing a life-limiting diagnosis. 

“We would like to thank every single person who has made this event a success.”

Chris Forster, owner of Chris Forster Events, was awarded ‘top fundraiser’ for raising an incredible £41,000 for the hospice over the years.

Other contenders who danced the night away this year included Emily Blight, Christine Brett Rowles, Lee Houghton, Duncan Thorpe and Steve Park.

Thanks were extended to everyone involved including headline sponsor of the event, Ingevity; Drinks’ sponsor, Greenall’s; Cadmans Dance Centre for training and supporting the amateur dancers; Corporate table sponsors Zachary Daniels, The Hive, Cadent, Urban Building Projects, FCH Architects and BT Skips & Excavation Contracting; Guest judges Andy Hawley, Elle Magee, Victoria Millward and Russ Scanlon; and hosts Ian Lawson and Hayley Jones with guest speaker Kate Stephens.

Further thanks went to DJ David from DMC Media, volunteer photographers on the night Brian Touhey, and Phil and Tony from Moore Photography Club, the Make Up Coach Rayner for dancers’ hair and makeup and Sun Centre World for their spray tans. 

A spokesperson for St Rocco’s added:“Thank you to everyone who donated prizes for the raffle, including Greenhall’s, The Village Hotel and Electrovision and thanks to Natwest Bank for their support with event preparations.

“Final thanks are offered to the eight contestants who have worked so hard and shown exceptional support and commitment to St. Rocco’s Hospice and made the night ‘Strictly’ wonderful.”