Are you brave enough for Full Monty Fundraiser for charity?
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An appeal has been made for men to get involved in a Full Monty Fundraiser in aid of a Strictly Inverness dance couple's efforts for charity.
Lesley Clark and Stefan Robertson are aiming to host the event at the city's Raigmore Motel on April 13.
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The adults-only show has been inspired by the 1997 film, starring Scottish actor Robert Carlyle, where a group of men decide to become strippers.
They are seeking men who are confident to strip off and dance to raise funds for Strictly Inverness organisers and hosts Highland Hospice and Inverness Ice Centre.
"I thought of a Full Monty fundraiser as I was looking for something different in the area that would get people in the community intrigued and definitely involved," said Lesley (41), of Strathdearn. "I wanted an event that was a lot of fun, where people could get up and cheer and dance the night away watching their men in the community do something very brave and incredible for charity.
"When I asked my dance partner Stefan if he thought this would be a good event he was definitely excited and we decided to make it a joint event that we will be hosting on the night. It’s going to be a lot of fun!
"There’s going to be prizes on the night for the guys involved because it’s such a an incredible thing to give their time to. We’re going to have prizes for ‘best dancer’, ‘rear of the year’, ‘kilted hero’ and more so it will be an incredible night."
The mother-of-three, who is a public servant, signed up to do Strictly Inverness in a bid to inspire others living with chronic illness.
Two years ago she was diagnosed with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) – which is a disorder of the automatic nervous system.
"It is really quite unheard of and under researched," Lesley said. "Some people can be born with it but a huge amount of people have now been diagnosed since having Covid. It causes tachycardia and bradycardia – very high and low heart rate – on movement and exertion and you can become quite incapacitated in life. It’s life-changing but there are ways to improve things and manage it through carefully prescribed exercise and medication.
"I’m lucky that I have gotten to a place I can function quite well and it only affects me if I don’t pace myself. I have to be aware of everything I do, not to overdo it and know when to rest and recover.
"There are a lot of other symptoms associated with it which are awful but managing things carefully with my consultant has helped my get back to a slightly more normal life after spending months being very unwell."
Partnered with Stefan Robertson, from Inverness, they are learning a paso doble and an American smooth, as well as a team dance with seven other couples who are performing on the Friday evening of the contest in May.
Lesley also has a Rock N Reel fundraiser planned for April 12 at the Beaufort Hotel in Inverness.
Anyone keen to be involved, should apply by email to la3372@outlook.com
