A BOLLYWOOD dance and curry evening, held on Friday 23rd February at Leigh Park Community Centre and hosted by Cheryl Cotterill, raised awareness and funds for Klinefelter syndrome and the KSA charity.
Cheryl organised the event as the disorder has become a big part of her life after her son, Daniel’s diagnosis last March. Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is caused by an extra X chromosome and affects around 1 in 600 live male births.
A child is born with the condition, which cannot be cured, but it is not life threatening. If diagnosed early, support at school and help with fertility issues can have a life-changing effect.
The KSA charity works to raise awareness of the disorder, especially amongst the medical profession, and helps with fundraising events and the spread of information via their website.
The dance and curry evening at Leigh Park community centre saw Debbie Bailey, from Deb’s Dance Fitness, leading a Bollywood Just Jhoom! dance class. Over 60 people attended, with each guest supplied with a skirt, decorative bindi and offered a curry meal afterwards.
Other fundraising activities held during the evening included raffle for prizes including chocolates, bath sets and bottles of bubbly; a ‘guess how many Smarties are on the cake’ game; and a guest was selling homemade cards, with 25% of the price going towards the charity.
Debbie Bailey said, “We wanted to use the evening to raise awareness for Klinefelter’s. Cheryl is a really good friend of mine, so she asked me to help out with the evening. We all love Bollywood and I teach a Bollywood fit class at Leigh Park Community Centre on a Wednesday at 6.15pm, so we decided to create the evening around it. It is a dance that everyone can enjoy and is great for all abilities.
“We have hosted events with a Bollywood theme before and they have been a great success. The curry was cooked and provided by Debbie Cole, centre manager at Leigh Park Community Centre, so a big thank you goes to her.
“From ticket prices, after fees, we have already made £350, so we hope to raise nearer to £800 once the final number has been counted.”
Alison Bridges, chair of trustees of KSA said, “Thank you so much to Cheryl for the effort and time she has put into making this fundraising evening a success. As our income is tiny, the amount you have raised will make a real difference.”
For more information about the disorder please call Alison on 01629 534402 or email on chair@ksa-uk.net.
