Strictly Inverness 2024 diary: Let's start fundraising
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This has suddenly all become very real. It's now all locked in: our dance partners, our dance styles and our dance training schedules. We also have our fundraising mission.
Strictly Inverness is the area's answer to the mega-popular BBC dance contest but the main difference is that people involved are volunteering their time, energy and efforts towards generating cash for organisers and hosts Highland Hospice and Inverness Ice Centre.
I'm just one of the 32 'dancers' (none of us know how to dance yet!) who will each raise a minimum of £1000 ahead of the shows in May.
- Click here if you would like to make a donation
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Our fundraising activities are likely to come in many forms – and I'll aim to publicise some of them along the way – and totals for the 16 dance partnerships will be worth points in the contest's semi-finals. That means every penny counts.
While fundraising, we'll also be trying to learn to dance. We have around four months to nail our routines, with a finely crafted schedule fitting everyone in (on a beautiful spreadsheet, I might add... colleagues know how much I love a spreadsheet!).
Our dance training starts this coming week, which means a proportion of this weekend will be spent researching rumba and samba – the two styles my dance partner Ruth and I will be trying to master... or at least perform in a somewhat entertaining fashion which resembles those styles.
We found out our dance styles a few hours before the group met up on Thursday for the first time since our welcome meeting in December. The ice centre provided a fabulous wee buffet while representatives of the hospice and ice centre talked us through aspects of the event and we all left with dance shoes for training sessions, collection buckets and Strictly Raffle tickets to sell (£1 each – email me, there are some amazing prizes).
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It was a great night for catching up with some of the people I met on day one as well as getting to know some dancers I didn't meet before, plus some of the professional tutors.
Part of why I'm doing this is to forge new friendships and I think that will come out of the shared experience we're all going to have. There's no doubt there will be ups and downs but everyone in that room was keen to see everyone else do well so we can all put on a show and raise as much money as possible.
That fundraising is key and the launchpad for each dancer is their corporate sponsor. I'm lucky that my employer Highland News & Media has been involved with Strictly Inverness as media partner from the start – over 12 years ago. Some of my colleagues have taken part before and everyone who knows I'm doing it seems to be fully supportive. Getting the firm's backing and that of the team is amazing.
I've also been fortunate to get a great boost from MKM Building Supplies in Aviemore. If you are in the area and want a shot at the Strictly Raffle, please grab some tickets.
Over the years, Strictly Inverness has raised an incredible amount of money and that has been helped by the support of some very generous businesses. There have also been a range of high-profile local business community figures that have participated previously including Alastair ‘Sugar’ Kennedy from Global Energy Group/Nigg Skills Academy, Alison McRitchie who runs the Head Gardener, Graeme Bell who is general manager of Inverness Airport, STV’s Nicola McAlley, psychic Pam Duff, Gus Macdonald who runs Inverness Crazy Golf, Ewan Donald from Innes & Mackay, and one of last year's winners Stevie Strang from McDonald Scaffolding.
Then there is the legendary Strictly Inverness fundraiser farmer Martin 'Papa' Gill who raised more than £60,000 – a stunning amount.
The hospice's Wendy Morgan told me: “The support from businesses for Strictly Inverness is invaluable. Each year we have 32 corporate sponsors on board, as we ask each dancer to source one. This contribution goes towards costume costs, which is a huge help as each contestant has three outfits for their dances. Not only this, but our group dances are both sponsored – and we also receive a generous contribution from Ego for hair and make-up requirements, as they offer their services free of charge. Strictly wouldn’t be the success it is without the support of local companies.”
Click here if you would like to make a donation.
