Sidmouth dance duo's gift to health centre

Published: 5:06 PM April 5, 2009 Updated: 5:50 PM December 11, 2020

A SIDMOUTH dance duo, who raised �300 through its Wednesday dance evenings at Sidmouth Conservative Club, were at Blackmore Health Centre last Friday to see the specialist trolley their money has bought for nurses taking blood samples.

John and Sonia Davies, from Salcombe Road, take no income from the ballroom and Latin sequence dance evenings they hold at the club each week.

Instead, since they began nearly two years ago, the sessions; which include tuition for beginners and improvers as well as social dancing, have raised more than �2,000 for six local charities.

The couple's dance evenings are part of a weekly selection of entertainments put on at the Conservative Club for its members. Others include bingo, line dancing and live music.

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John, a committee member, said: "Non-members are welcome to come along for four visits a year, but must become members should they wish to continue to come."

There is an entrance charge to the dance evenings, however, said John: "Sonia and I, nor the Conservative Club, take any of the contributions made by the dancers, and this is just one, of other fund-raising events for charities, carried out throughout the year."

The phlebotomy trolley purchased with their �300 is "vital" said district nurse Caroline Shuttleworth,

Centre manager Rob Spargo said the health centre relied on a lot of people to fund pieces of equipment for the medical team which were not supplied through the NHS.

"People do, from time to time, come in and make donations to The Sid Valley Practice Equipment Fund. That is what makes the difference and makes life easier for nurses and patients."

*Wednesday's dance classes for beginners start at 7.15pm, with improvers following on at 8pm. From 9pm there is general dancing for all.