Nine couples made up of lawyers and staff from Bristol law firm Burges Salmon have raised more than £28,500 by taking to the dancefloor for the firm’s charity of the year, Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal.
They took part in a ‘dance off’ at the firm’s showpiece head office with routines that ranged from a jive to an American smooth to compete for the title of Strictly Legal champions 2012.
A fiery paso doble performed to Lady Gaga’s Poker Face by Sarah Redgers and Paul Kitson from the firm’s business development team earned them the trophy at the end of a glittering evening.
Burges Salmon’s senior partner Alan Barr and managing partner Peter Morris also took part in the event with dance partners Camilla Usher-Clark and Rachel Pinn.
Peter said: “Many of us had no previous experience of ballroom dancing, so this was certainly a big challenge. We’re very grateful to Michele Webber from the Dance Factory in Bristol for her fantastic coaching and to all those who have volunteered their time and money to make the event such a success.”
The Grand Appeal’s deputy director Anna Shepherd jived her way into the final dancing with Burges Salmon’s Matt Ramus.
She said: “While the thought of taking part in Strictly Legal has been daunting at times, it was great to finally take to the dancefloor and put months of training into practice. I have had lots of fun along the way and want to thank my partner Matt and all the other dancers for making it a really great and memorable time. To raise more than £28,500 to help sick children treated at Bristol Children’s Hospital is a fantastic finale to such a wonderful event.”
The other Strictly Legal dancers were John Barnett and Beatrice Puoti, Michael Hayles and Brioney Thomas, Colin Ligman and Vicki Underhill, Roger Bull and Debra French and Chris Seaton and Vanessa Hiller.
The event, which also featured a nail-biting live auction led by auctioneer Toby Pinn from Clevedon Salerooms, featuring exclusive lots including a signed Wallace & Gromit watercolour by Nick Park, was compered by the head of Burges Salmon’s charity committee Keith Beattie and organised by a dedicated team led by Jamie Cameron, Shelley Crofts and Gail McDonald.
It was the latest in a series of events supporting The Grand Appeal’s vital work on behalf of Bristol Children’s Hospital.
In September a team of lawyers completed a 320-mile, three-day cycle challenge from Wensleydale to Bristol towing a 21kg truckle of cheese and last month a staff ‘bake off’ culminated in a hotly-contested final won by real estate lawyer Vanessa Eyres who created an impressive ‘croquembouche’ complete with abseiling Wallace and Gromit.
Next year the firm will continue its work with the Grand Appeal team by supporting the charity’s Gromit Unleashed initiative run in conjunction with Aardman Animations.
