"Strokely Come Dancing": Fundraiser event returns to Sheffield after 10 years
After it’s first event 10 years ago, “Strokely Come Dancing” returns to Sheffield again
Sheffield Hospitals Charity and NHS staff will come together for a night of dancing as “Strokely Come Dancing” returns.
The fundraising event will take place on Friday, November 13 at the Voco Hotel, on Norfolk Street, and aims to raise money for stroke services in Sheffield.
The event first took place 10 years ago, back in 2016, and is now back for the second time.
Dr Amanda Jones, Clinical lead for the Sheffield Teaching Hospital Stroke Service, came up with the idea as a way to raise awareness.
She said: “I came up with it about 10 years ago to really raise awareness of stroke because unlike conditions such as cancer and heart disease, stroke doesn’t get an awful lot of attention in the media and it can affect young people.
“We’ve worked hard to get a really good comprehensive stroke service in Sheffield with lots of new innovations, and it was just that everybody seems to love Strictly Come Dancing.
“It sort of brings quite a celebration and lots of people get involved in it whether they like dancing or not.”
Twelve contestants, made up of hospital staff, have been paired with local dance teachers who have been training them since this summer, ready for the big night.
On the night, they will perform choregraphed routines in front of a live audience, with Ballroom, Argentine Tango, Kizomba, Modern Jive and Rock & Roll all making an appearance.
Greg Van Heeswijk, Director of Fundraising at Sheffield Hospital’s charity, will be taking part as a contestant in memory of his nan who recently died following a stroke.
He said: “It has that personal connection to me, it was a real shock when she passed away and I wanted to find a way to be able to kind of mark that.
“It makes going to the training sessions each night so much easier because I’ve got that motivation, and also from a fundraising perspective this is going to be fantastic.
“People are really excited to come and see me make a fool of myself on the dance floor.”
Despite the contestants and everyone involved still having their normal lives and jobs, they are all dedicated to learning their routines and making sure the event will be one to remember.
Greg added: “I’ve personally found on my worst days when I’ve gone dancing, I’ve actually ended up coming away feeling great and it’s just wiped away the rest of the day.”
Whilst there is no specific fundraising goal, hundred of tickets have already been sold at a price of £25, all going towards stroke services in Sheffield.
The money raised will fund things like specialist equipment, research, education and initiatives that make a difference to stroke survivors and their families.
Dr Jones shared the kind of impact the first event had, a decade ago. She said: “We were just opening our new community stroke unit so it bought things like new steps to practice on for rehabilitation.
“It paid for carers groups at the cathedral and education sessions to really improve the care for patients and staff. So everything’s gone back into the stroke service and has really helped at a time when you can’t get much funding for anything.”
Something Dr Jones wanted to emphasise when discussing the impacts of a stroke, is for people to remember the acronym FAST - which stands for Face, Arms, Speech and Time.
It acts as a reminder for people to act quickly if someone’s face is fallen to one side, if they can’t raise both arms, and if their speech is slurred, to call 999.
She said: “The stroke association will be there as well giving out information, but it’s just really about raising awareness and the care of our patients. We want to raise as much money as possible.”
Also involved in the event, is Tracey Barnes, who founded Dancing for Health CIC, an organisation that provides dance programmes for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
She said: “We wanted to be part of Strokely Come Dancing because we have seen first-hand the positive impact dance can have on people affected by stroke. Inclusive dance programmes can help people build confidence, improve movement and coordination, reconnect socially and experience the wider benefits of being active.”
Despite the contestants and everyone involved still having their normal lives and jobs, they are all dedicated to learning their routines and making sure the event will be one to remember.
If you want to see the dancing for yourself and help raise funds for stroke services in Sheffield, you can purchase a ticket here.