This is the year I get to live my absolute dream, dancing with a professional dancer in the Empress Ballroom as part of the Dance Floor Heroes fundraising event for Tia's Crown.

Anyone who's connected with me on Facebook knows just how much I love BBC Strictly Come Dancing. Having the opportunity to get a taste of the experience for myself is... well, there are no words to describe it!

The main purpose of the event (in addition to giving non-celebs to have a fabulous experience) is to raise funds for a fabulous charity called Tia's Crown; the aim of the charity is "to support people with poor mental and physical health through dance sessions in a safe environment where they may not previously had access." These 'Let's Dance' sessions take place around the Fylde Coast and are open to anyone who wants to go, free of charge.

Tia's Crown also give grants to other charities that are in line with what they want to achieve and help to improve mental & physical wellbeing

And so, this is where this page comes in. Over the next few months I'll be aiming to raise much needed funds for Tia's Crown, partly by sharing my story on my social media pages, and also by (hopefully) undertaking some other fun activities! I'll share updates here, on my social media and also on my new blog: https://trippinlikerippon.blogspot.com/

When I applied for Dance Floor Heroes 2024, I didn't really think I'd get to the final - but I decided to 'log' my story, just in case...

So, here are my thoughts immediately after I attended the Blackpool heat in September 2023.

https://youtu.be/Bh7LkHaa7qA

Other videos will be shared on my YouTube channel as I work through the process:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEXedIKLTfcLEQGhO-fipww

Re. the #TrippinLikeRippon hashtag: as one of the older contestants this year, I'm taking my inspiration from the one and only Angela Rippon, whose success on last year's 'Strictly' was lovely to watch, and great motivation for many people of a certain age. This line featured in my semi-finalist video which you can now see here: https://youtu.be/fJ4hvpeAGOw?si=NYAWAPHzWH7l-zF6

Here's a video shared on Facebook that explains more about Tia's Crown (as described by the 2023 finalists and pro dancers): https://www.facebook.com/DanceFloorHeroesUK/videos/2346189025591545

#DancersMakingADifference #TiasCrownCharity #mentalhealthawareness #DancingForMentalHealth

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.