Solicitor Simon's sequins are Strictly for St Luke's

Solicitor Simon Green is swapping his suit for sequins and sparkle to take part in a Strictly Come Dancing-style charity contest.

Novice dancer Simon, who works for Birkett Long, has ten weeks to perfect his Quickstep and Paso Doble before the fundraising competition organised by St Luke’s Hospice.

Ten couples will compete at the Springhouse Club in Corringham on 18 March to be crowned the first Strictly St Luke’s champions.

Simon has been paired with professional dance teacher Layan Flitcroft from United Dance Studios in Stanford le Hope.

He raised money for St Luke’s last year by taking part in two mud-runs, and said: “I enjoyed the runs so much I thought I should tackle something I wouldn’t enjoy, and dancing in front of more than 250 people fits that bill.

“I found out about the caring environment of the hospice – and the £15,000 per day it costs to run – through Birkett Long’s corporate partnership with St Luke’s, and wanted to play my part in supporting local people in need of their specialist care.”

Simon, who has worked in the commercial property team at Birkett Long’s Basildon office for two years, is hoping to raise £1,000 through his JustGiving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/simonandlayan

He added: “The Strictly St Luke’s winner will be judged on a combination of judges’ scores, audience votes and money raised – so I definitely need to do well on the fundraising side!”