Over the Christmas period, it wasn’t just celebrities who were getting their dance shoes on. Denis Stevenson of Rowlinsons Solicitors wowed the crowds and took to the dance floor, to raise some much needed money for the St. Rocco’s Hospice in Warrington.
The glamorous gala, which took place at Mere Golf Resort and Spa in December, saw a group of 10 amateur dancers compete against each other, following weeks of rigorous training from the professionals. Each performance was in front of a live audience of around 350 people – so the pressure was on to win the coveted Strictly St. Rocco’s Glitterball trophy.
Hosted by BBC Radio Merseyside’s, Roger Phillips, the event has so far raised over £32,000 from both attendees and sponsorship. All of the funds raised will go straight to the St. Rocco’s Hospice, a registered charity that provides high quality care to people with life-limiting illnesses across the region. They also offer valuable support to families of their patients, and rely on the donations from great events such as the gala.
Senior Director at Rowlinsons Solicitors, Denis Stevenson was one of the top fundraisers at the event and has so far gained over £2,500 in sponsorship. That said, Denis certainly isn’t new to the world of fundraising and has been heavily involved in a number of charity events throughout the North West.
Along with the team at Rowlinsons Solicitors, Denis has raised money for many local causes. At the end of 2013, the team raised over £1,000 for The Hospice of the Good Shepherd and The Countess of Chester Baby Grow Appeal – all by getting involved in the Santa Dash.
Further funds have raised for the Baby Grow Appeal by Denis himself. Shortly before taking part in Strictly St. Rocco’s, Denis raffled tickets to see Gary Barlow in concert, which saw him raise over £500. The Rowlinsons’ team plan on continuing this success by taking part in a number of marathons – with one member of staff participating in this year’s London Marathon.
Denis has commented on the recent achievements and the commitment of the team, saying: “The team at Rowlinsons have all shown great dedication and enthusiasm to the various charitable events which have been organised. We are all committed to put something back into the local community and use the skills that we have acquired over many years to help these very worthwhile charitable causes.
“We will continue this year to organise events to help the Countess of Chester Baby Grow Appeal who are looking to build a new baby unit at a cost of £3 million. To date, £1.5 million has been raised towards this target, so there is still a lot of hard work ahead.”
