Bright dancers are champs in Strictly finals

Bright dancers are champs in Strictly finals

28 May 2014

THE Fall star Niamh McGrady brought some red carpet talent to the long awaited Strictly Champion of Champions event at the weekend.

The Castlewellan actress, currently appearing in Holby City, crowned Megan Crane and Kevin Fitzpatrick from Bright the overall winners of the district wide contest, which has raised thousands of pounds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Staged in Ballynahinch’s Millbrook Lodge Hotel, local clubs sent the winners of their own Strictly events earlier in the year, which attracted huge audiences as the phenomenon caught on, for a shot at the top prize.

Among those taking part in the dance-off for the Champion of Champions trophy were clubs from Ardglass, Bright, Castlewellan, Drumaness, Crossgar, Spa, Ballyhornan, Finnis, St. John’s, Loughinisland and Teconnaught.

The final total raised has yet to be tallied, but with standing room only at the Saturday night event, along with top prizes such as Garth Brooks tickets included in the raffle, organisers look likely to reach their original £15,000 target.

Roisin Fitzsimons, Emmanuel McStravick, Maureen Brennan and Maria Hamill have been preparing for the event since October, contacting clubs to organise winning dancers, and securing a number of attractive prizes.

Although the event was pulled together by the four-strong team, the main driver is local woman Maria Hamill, whose own battle against cancer three years ago changed her life.

Maria suddenly became ill with non Hodgkins lymphoma while on a business trip in 2010.

After undergoing six months of gruelling chemotherapy, she was finally in remission from the disease. Three years later, Maria is enjoying good health although she says the cancer diagnosis and subsequent fight against the disease has been life changing.

She said Macmillan Cancer Care was particularly instrumental in helping her to readjust to a life post-cancer by helping her negotiate the emotional minefield that a diagnosis at just 44 created.

“Macmillan was invaluable to me,” she said. “At the time of my diagnosis my daughter was just about to start secondary school and my prognosis was not good.

“I was only 44 and cancer is not something that we have a family history of so it was quite a lot to take on board.

“After my treatment ended Macmillan ran a course called New Perspectives to help you deal with coming back to reality.

“What I have discovered is that you are always changed by this. Every single day you will be glad you are alive.

“I now live by the saying ‘every day is a gift, that is why it is called the present’.”