©DN Anderson

Strictly Come Prancing, the flagship fundraising event of our nominated charity Aberlour, Scotland’s children’s charity, has raised more than £35,000 to help vulnerable families in Edinburgh.

The event, which took place on Saturday (21st September) at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, was a resounding success. Eight couples performed dance routines in front of a live audience, and were critiqued by judges – Angus Foreman of Microsoft, Josh Kiernan of the MGA Academy of Performing Arts and our very own Founder Belinda Roberts along with WeDO member & Award winner Chris Davidson of Webit Technologies. Nikki Gandy, Aberlour’s Fundraiser in Edinburgh is a regular attendee at our events and works closely with a number of our members .

The couple performed a jive style routine winning accolades from the judges and votes from the audience for their co-ordinated footwork and finale lift. Josh Kiernan’s casting vote saw them edge into the top position ahead of hairdressing dancing duo Becky Chisholm and Gavin Blackie. Earlier in the evening there had been controversy when Edinburgh?s own Elvis, Colin Tweedie with dancing partner Kiaz Trepte, did not make the final despite high scores from the judges.

The event was sponsored by Microsoft and Webit Technologies, with dance instruction provided by the MGA Academy of Performing Arts whose co-Founder, Murray Grant is also a WeDO member. The funds raised will be put towards Aberlour Family Outreach – Edinburgh which works with families who are experiencing difficulties with substance use. The service works in the community and supports parents to make positive changes in their lives. This positive influence will improve family living and make it safer and healthier for them and their children.

 

Aberlour’s own Margo Irvine – Service Manager at Aberlour Family Outreach Edinburgh – also took to the floor with dance partner Dougie Walker as they were cheered on by Aberlour colleagues for their James Bond inspired routine. Dougie has been a member of WeDO Scotland for over 2 years and is the Founder of Claymore Security Solutions. To the surprise of the audience and judging panel, Margo & Dougie produced supershooter water guns at the end of their dance and as well as catching some of the audience, they managed to soak Murray Grant from MGA and Angus Foreman on the judging panel, a brave move if ever we saw one!

 

Director of Fundraising for Aberlour, Karen McMurrich said:

This was a fantastic evening which could not have been possible without the support of Microsoft and Webit Technologies. I’d like to thank everyone who came, participated and helped to raise a fantastic amount of money to help Scotland?s children. I’d like to pay tribute to the dancers for volunteering their time and effort to put on such a wonderful show; we could not have raised so much without them!”

 

Categories: Events

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