STRICTLY Come Dancing stars hit the dancefloor at a charity event in Colchester.
Strictly Air Ambulance returned to Charter Hall, in Cowdray Avenue, Colchester, on Saturday evening, raising almost £20,000 for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance.
The event, which was hosted for the first time by the charity’s celebrity ambassador, Lisa Snowdon, alongside ITV Anglia presenter, David Whiteley, saw more than 800 people gather to watch five contestants and their professional partners give it their all on the dance floor.
To add to the glitz and glamour, Strictly Come Dancing’s Pasha Kovalev and Chloe Hewitt performed on the evening and formed part of the judging panel.
The competition saw a high level of dancing from the couples taking part and the winners lifting the glitter ball trophy were Ryan Wingate, who is a PGA professional at Ipswich Golf Club, and Crystal Main, who owns Feather Steps Dance Academy, which has a venue in Colchester.
Ryan, who was delighted to win the title, said: “If anybody gets a chance to take part in this event then they should as it’s a fantastic thing to be a part of.
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“I have hugely enjoyed the experience and I am really going to miss dancing with Crystal, who has been an amazing teacher and dancing partner.”
His dance partner Crystal added: “As a professional, I’ve always wanted to be able to lift the glitter ball trophy and I got to do it with Ryan for this amazing charity and event.
“He has been the model student from start to finish and was an absolute pleasure to teach and I’m glad that my Strictly Air Ambulance experience was with him.”
The event raised £19,430 for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, an award-winning charity which attended over 2,500 missions last year.
Its chief executive, Jane Gurney, opened the show dancing with choreographer Ben Milan Vega.
“As one of our highest profile events, Strictly Air Ambulance is an important fundraiser for us,” said Jane.
She continued: “It costs £750,000 a month to keep us flying, providing life-saving pre-hospital emergency care.
“[We receive] limited direct funding from the government, so we rely heavily on the generosity of the people and businesses of Essex and Hertfordshire.”
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