Alness Strictly Inverness fundraiser in The Field pulls in £15K for Sonny’s Highland Hospice push
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AN Easter Ross community danced its way to a near £15,000 boost during a poignant fundraiser at the weekend.
Sonny Rhind’s ‘Cammie’s Connections’ event for Strictly Inverness, raising funds for Highland Hospice and the local ice centre, was hosted at The Field, run by the The Place Youth Group in Alness.
Sonny and dance partner Jackie Sutherland took the plunge to join the event as late substitutes after another couple pulled out and have been working to make up a four-week gap in fundraising and dance practice ahead of next month’s competition.
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Sonny’s big fundraiser was on Saturday, pulled together with the help of Gemma Dunnett, the best friend of his daughter and also head teacher at Milton Primary.
Sonny lost twin brother Alasdair, a well-known Easter Ross councillor and Tain community stalwart, just days before the event which, poignantly, also fell on his 66th birthday.
Speaking afterwards, Sonny, a former Averon Leisure Centre manager also well known for community activism, said: “It was better than I could have hoped for. The whole thing was fabulous. Everything on the day was donated for free. The bands were great and people just danced all night long.”
The event raised a remarkable £14,800.
Food prepared by a band of volunteers was for sale, helping boost the total at the bring your own bottle event.
Around 270 people attended. Some 4000 tickets were sold for the raffle which boasted 80-plus prizes.
Sonny paid tribute to everyone who helped out, amongst them Gordon Robertson of The Place Youth Group “a real trooper with a can-do attitude”.
Sonny joked: “It’s the day we became eligible for our pension - my brother will be raging about that!”
The Cammie’s Connections event was inspired by Gemma’s late dad who was well known in country music circles. Performers included Dagger Gordon, Jacquie and Ian, Geordie Jack, The Harper Country Band and Rhianne.
Sonny’s fundraising page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/sonny.rhind.7
