Deputy Gollop joins dancefloor challenge

He joins 15 other personalities in the local Strictly-style competition, which sees amateurs learning a mix of ballroom and Latin dances over the coming months.

Next year’s event, which is 1940s-themed to mark the 75th anniversary of the Liberation, will take place at Beau Sejour on 24 and 25 April.

Organiser Jamie Le Tissier said: ‘We are really excited about the 2020 event. It’s such an important year for the island, being the 75th anniversary of the Liberation. So we had to reflect that through the music and costume, with a celebration of the island’s freedom from German occupation.

‘I would like to thank our sponsors for the event next year – Donkeylogic, Tropical Sun, Channel Insurance Brokers, Cooper Brouard and Thirst Music School. We would also love to hear from any other businesses able to help out with next year’s event. We have a great line-up and they are all raring to go.

‘We also have a mystery man in the competition this year, who will not be revealed until the night of the first show.’

Each year the challenge, which started in 2007, raises money for local charities.

Over the 13 years it’s been running, the Dancefloor Challenge has raised approximately £150,000.

This year’s chosen charities are Choices and the Guernsey branch of the Royal British Legion.

Choices’ nurse manager, Fiona Hardy, is taking part.

‘I’m so grateful that Choices has been chosen as one of the beneficiaries of the Dancefloor Challenge 2020 and very excited to be able to represent the charity as one of the dancers,’ she said.

‘Choices clinic works in partnership with HSC but is reliant on donations in order to keep providing a contraceptive and sexual health clinic for the Bailiwick.

‘This will be such a fabulous opportunity to raise funds for the clinic, raise our profile within the community and have a lot of fun in the process.’

Tickets go on sale for the 2020 shows on Saturday 11 January at St Joseph’s parish hall in St Peter Port.