WHEN their charity ballroom event was cancelled by its organisers due to lack of ticket sales, disappointed dancers thought they’d lost their chance to raise money for Cancer Research.

But thanks to the Ballroom Buddies – and Bournemouth’s Marsham Court Hotel which has offered its own facilities – the event, formerly I Am Dancing, is back ON!

Ballroom Buddies will stage their event – in which 15 couples who’d learned to dance for the original evening will put on a glamorous show - at the Marsham Court on May 5.

Organiser Sue Stear, of Muscliff, said: “We were given eight weeks free training to turn us from left footed elephants into graceful swans and then we would put on a show for our friends and family - a bit like Strictly.”

However, after being told by the original event organiser, Jon Leonard of Ultra Ballroom, that not enough tickets had been sold by participants – a condition of taking part – Sue says a group determined to carry on.

“The Marsham Court Hotel has very kindly offered us a venue at a massively reduced rate and without this the show wouldn't have been possible,” she said, adding that more than 100 tickets had already been sold. “We have begged, borrowed and stolen time from individuals, local shops, raffle prizes, and services at a reduced rate and people have been very generous.”

She said the group was now doing its best to make the event profitable so they could still make a sizeable donation to Cancer Research.

“We all have our own reasons for doing this – our goal is to raise money for Cancer Research and have a fabulous time doing it!” she said. “I’m a cancer survivor and at one point there was someone who did something which raised money for the research which allowed me to see my children grow up. If they hadn’t done that. I wouldn’t be here today and that means that all of us doing this event are saving lives with every step we take.”

*If you’d like to donate a raffle prize or buy a ticket, contact Sue on their Ballroom Buddies Facebook group, or call 07920 064408.