Martin House Supporters Dance into Action for a Strictly-Style Extravaganza!
Summary:
- Claritas Solutions are supporting Martin House
- One of these events is their annual Strictly Get Dancing
- Preparation for the event consisted of 6 rehearsals
- Show day was fantastic!
- The whole day just felt really smooth and easy, not stressful at all, just really enjoyable
- Raised over £40k from their Strictly Get Dancing event
- Having a bit of a laugh on a dancefloor you are playing a part in helping those who need it most
- Strictly Get Dancing 2024 will take place on Saturday 24th February
Claritas Solutions are supporting Martin House over the next two years and hope to raise £10k for the charity, currently smashing the £5k target this year, having only started January 23. Martin House Children’s Hospice provide family-led hospice care for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses across East, West and North Yorkshire. Throughout the year Martin House put on events to help raise crucial funds, one of these events is their annual Strictly Get Dancing.
Our Marketing & Social Media Exec Kat is a huge Strictly fan and was instantly up for the challenge. She managed to encourage with surprisingly little force to get her partner Greg, a self-proclaimed non-dancer to get involved too! We sat down with Kat to find out what they made of the experience, the reasons why they got involved and the impact this has had on Martin House.
Why did you sign up for Strictly Get Dancing?
Kat – To live out all my Strictly dreams! I’m a huge fan of the show and had seen Martin House put this event on the past couple of years and thought it looked a lot of fun. As Claritas had chosen to support Martin House over the next two years I thought, well, this is the perfect opportunity to get involved! The biggest challenge I thought was trying to get Greg on board but actually this turned out to be a lot easier than planned!!
How did you prepare for the Strictly Get Dancing event?
Kat – In the first initial meeting, you had to the chance to purchase your dance shoes through a dance shop in Harrogate, they came along and showed you different styles to choose from. You also had the chance to select some fab costumes which were provided by Martin House, equally you were more than welcome to source the costumes yourself. Preparation for the event consisted of 6 rehearsals leading up to show day, where the lovely dance teachers Jean and Andy would teach you basic steps for the dances you were doing. We performed a group Jive, couples Cha-Cha-Cha and Foxtrot. These basic steps would build the foundation of your routines but you were also given a lot of freedom to play around with the dances and add whatever extra steps you liked really.
What was show day like?
Kat – Show day was fantastic! Long day but so much fun! We arrived in the morning in plenty of time to do a few run throughs and to get ourselves ready. They had students from White Rose Beauty College helping us to get all strictlyfied! Once we had some time to rehearse in the space and run through how it was all going to work we had plenty of time to chill. We’d popped some Prosecco so we were having a fab time! The evening was packed! We performed our group dance and couple dances in between the audience eating and being entertained by the Singing Waiters and my mum’s personal fave, the CONGA LINE! There was judging, a top three who performed again and a winner announced, all that you would expect with a Strictly themed event. Finishing the night with music and an open dancefloor for everyone to enjoy. The whole day just felt really smooth and easy, not stressful at all, just really enjoyable. Also coming out in 2nd place and a Most Improved Couple Award I must say I am very proud of us and our ‘Strictly Journey’ lol!
How much did the event raise for Martin House?
Kat – All couples taking part were asked to raise £500, I was overwhelmed with the generosity of family, friends and work colleagues as we managed to raise a total of £750. On show night the Martin House Team walked round with buckets for donations and they had a QR code on the tables so the audience could make a £5 vote for their favourite couple. At the end of the evening they announced they had raised over £40k from their Strictly Get Dancing event! An incredible amount of money which will make a huge difference. To put this into perspective, this event alone has meant Martin House can pay for a nurse for a year to provide specialist care and support to children and young people at the hospice.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Strictly Get Dancing?
Kat – DO IT! I love Strictly and dancing anyway, so for me, it was a no brainer but honestly Strictly Get Dancing is for everyone! Dancer or not you can’t help but just have FUN! Greg can vouch for this! You also get to meet and become friends with some really lovely people, even now I miss our weekly dance classes on a Sunday and catching up with everyone. It might take you completely out of your comfort zone but just take it for what it is and have fun with it. You will gain so much and for having a bit of a laugh on a dancefloor you are playing a part in helping those who need it most.
Martin House have announced Strictly Get Dancing 2024 will take place on Saturday 24th February and they are looking for couples to take part! So, do you fancy yourself learning a new skill, having fun whilst doing it and meeting some lovely people? Check out the Martin House website where you can find out more information and how to sign up Strictly Get Dancing – Martin House.
If you would like to help in our fundraising efforts you can do by following our Just Giving link here Claritas Solutions is fundraising for Martin House Hospice for Children and Young People (justgiving.com)
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