Dancing for Fitness and for a Cause

I'm Tracy and I've been part of the team here at Age UK Gloucestershire for 11 years. I look after marketing for our charity so it's my job to make sure that older people across the county know about our services and how to find us. And I love it!

Outside of work, my favourite past-time has to be my Dance Fitness classes, which I've attended 2 or 3 times a week for the past 10 years. It's a really fun way to stay active and indulge my love of all things dance - 45 minutes of thinking about nothing but the music and routines, makes it a mindful activity for me as well as a fitness one. My classes are inclusive, welcoming people of all ages, from those in their twenties, to ladies in their 70s and 80s, and one or two gents too. That mix is really special.

During 2023 I was forced to step back from my classes for a while when I received treatment for breast cancer. It was a difficult time, but I'm happy to report that today I'm absolutely fine - just regular check-ups and a bit of medication to keep me on track. I honestly believe that without the love and support of my family, friends, work colleagues and my Dance Fitness friends, my journey would have been a lot harder, and I'm so grateful to them all.

When I was ready to give something back, choosing how was easy, it had to be a fundraising Dance-a-Thon! I decided to raise money for two causes, Age UK Gloucestershire because I see first-hand the enormous difference we make to the lives of local older people every single day, and The Cheltenham & Gloucester Hospitals Charity, who are fundraising for a new oncology unit which will transform cancer care in our county. It was important to me that the money I raised would be used locally to help people in Gloucestershire - another reason why I chose these charities.

So, back in March my fabulous instructor Ruthie took around 65 of us through a 2 hour Dance-a-Thon, each of us donating £10 for the privilege of dancing our socks off and getting very sweaty! We also held a raffle and cake stall (because after all that dancing, cake was essential!) and raised around £650 with this. Along with my personal online fundraising page which provided a platform for people outside of my classes to pledge a donation, we reached an incredible total of £1800! The feeling of donating £900 to each of my chosen charities was amazingly heart-warming and gave me a huge sense of achievement. I thank each and every person who supported my efforts.

If you or someone you love has ever been supported by Age UK Gloucestershire, you'll know just how much of a difference we can make. Fundraising can be a powerful way to give back, so if you're thinking about it - just go for it!

Here at Age UK Gloucestershire, we have lots of great ideas and resources to get your fundraising started.

Find out more here

And if you’re tempted to give my Dance Fitness classes a go,
you can find more information here