A lively crowd of almost 500 gathered  to cheer on participants taking part in our inaugural Strictly for Africa fundraising event.

Modelled on the BBC’s immensely popular Strictly Come Dancing show, the event took place in the Talbot Hotel in Stillorgan.

For 34 brave fundraisers with little to no dancing experience, the night was the culmination of an intensive eight week training programme.

Battling through sore feet and sequin burn, the participants put on their dancing shoes and donned their glad rags before taking to the stage in pairs. While sometimes lacking in the ‘correct’ technique, each couple made up for it in enthusiasm and energy. Together the group more than succeeded in putting on a magnificent show for the gathered judges, family and friends.

A big congratulations to the winning couple Samantha Mackey and Emma Belaine whose high-tempo Bollywood number brought the house down and won the competition through a combination of judges’ scores and crowd votes.

But the night wasn’t really about winning, it was about fun and fundraising. As well as raising the roof, the evening raised over €30,000 to support Gorta-Self Help Africa’s work with farming families.

A big thanks to all the competitors, crowd and sponsors who made the night such a success. Roll on Strictly for Africa 2017!