St Francis Hospice Targets £50k Strictly Fundraiser Havering 2026

Key Points:

• St Francis Hospice in Havering-atte-Bower, Romford, is hosting its second annual ‘Strictly St Francis’ fundraising event at the Brentwood Centre on 23 October.
• The charity event aims to raise £50,000 by pairing eight local hospice supporters with professional dance partners to compete for a glitterball trophy.
• Hospice ambassador Skip Atkins, 67, is participating in memory of his late wife, Jan, having already raised £30,000 for the charity over the past decade.
• Contestants will perform both a ballroom and a Latin routine, with each dancer tasked with reaching an individual fundraising target of £1,500.
• Organisers hope to attract an audience of 1,000 attendees, expanding on the £46,000 generated during the inaugural competition last year.
• Local radio DJ Andy Furneaux returns as host, whilst veteran local dance instructor Rita Sinclair returns as a judge following her recent community service awards.

Romford (East London Times) October 9, 2026 – A Havering hospice is aiming to dance its way towards a major financial milestone by challenging amateur participants to take part in a local fundraising event inspired by Strictly Come Dancing. St Francis Hospice, situated in Havering-atte-Bower, Romford, will host its second annual Strictly St Francis competition at the Brentwood Centre on 23 October. The event pairs eight supporters of the hospice with professional dance instructors to perform in front of a live audience, with all proceeds directed towards sustaining the hospice’s palliative care services.

What is the Strictly St Francis fundraising event?

The upcoming event serves as a flagship community fundraiser designed to engage local residents while generating vital revenue for end-of-life care. The competition sees eight amateur dancers paired directly with professional partners, following months of rigorous rehearsal routines. Each couple is tasked with learning and executing two distinct dance routines: one classical ballroom style and one energetic Latin style.

Beyond the performances staged on the night, the event incorporates a structured fundraising mechanism. Each contestant has been assigned a personal target to raise a minimum of £1,500 prior to stepping onto the dance floor. To incentivize fundraising efforts, participants who successfully achieve or surpass this financial threshold will be granted 10 additional points towards their total competition score on the evening. The event will culminate in the awarding of a glitterball trophy to the overall winners.

Who is taking part in this year’s dance competition?

Among the eight supporters competing in the 2026 event is 67-year-old hospice ambassador Skip Atkins. Atkins has been undertaking intensive training three times a week since June, working alongside his professional dance partner, Jolita Kudoke, to perfect their routines.

Addressing his inclusion in the competition, Atkins noted the surprise of his family, stating: “My children are shocked and amazed.” He expanded on his total lack of prior dance experience, explaining:

“I’ve never danced a step of instructed dancing in my life. I think I’m great when I’m on the dance floor after a couple of beers, but this is a whole new ball game.”

For the competition, Atkins and Kudoke are scheduled to deliver a waltz for their ballroom section alongside a cha-cha-cha for their Latin display. Preparing for the event has required significant physical commitment and lifestyle changes, as Atkins noted:

“I feel like I’ve remembered enough steps for an old bloke. I have to get a spray tan, I never thought I’d have a spray tan in my life. I’m becoming a proper Essex boy at my ripe old age.”

Despite the competitive framework of the evening, Atkins emphasized that the overarching goal remains focused on charitable support rather than personal victory.

“We’re not thinking about it as a competition,” he stated.

“We just want to do our very, very best and see what happens. The most important thing is the good of the hospice. I call it an oasis of love.”

What motivates the participants to support St Francis Hospice?

Personal connections to the care provided by St Francis Hospice form a major driving force for those involved in the fundraiser. Atkins has a long-standing history with the charity, having raised £30,000 over the past 10 years in memory of his late wife, Jan, who received care at the facility prior to her death in 2016.

Reflecting on his decade of charitable efforts, Atkins stated:

“Everything I do for fundraising, I do it for Jan. She was cared for so well and was so loved by the team.”

Similarly, key figures involved in evaluating the competition share deep personal ties to the institution. Competition judge Rita Sinclair, 74, who has taught dance lessons for Havering Council since 1982, returns to the panel following her participation in the inaugural event. Sinclair’s involvement is rooted in her family’s firsthand experience with the hospice, where her husband, Ken, received care before passing away in January 2024.

Sinclair’s ongoing contributions to the local community were formally recognized this year when she received both the Mayor of Havering’s Civic Award and a BBC Radio London Make a Difference Award for community service.

How much money does St Francis Hospice hope to raise?

Organisers have set a overall fundraising target of £50,000 for the 2026 event. This figure represents an increase from the inaugural competition held last year, which raised a total of £46,000 for hospice operations.

Charlotte Winder, events and community manager at St Francis Hospice, expressed confidence regarding public attendance and ticket revenue. Winder highlighted the growth in audience capacity, noting:

“Last year over 800 people came along. This year I’m confident we’ll get a sell out.”

Addressing the atmosphere surrounding the preparation for the Brentwood Centre show, Winder stated:

“There’s a real buzz in the air after last year’s event. What we do can obviously be quite serious, so an uplifting event like this is so wonderful.”

The event will also feature the return of Andy Furneaux as host. Furneaux, who serves as a local engagement team member at St Francis Hospice and works as a presenter for the Brentwood-based radio station Phoenix FM, will lead the proceedings on the night.

Background of the particular development

St Francis Hospice is an independent charity providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care to individuals with life-limiting illnesses across the London Boroughs of Havering, Barking & Dagenham, and Redbridge, alongside parts of South West Essex. The hospice offers a range of services including inpatient care, community nursing, hospice-at-home support, and bereavement counselling for family members.

Like many independent charitable institutions within the UK healthcare sector, St Francis Hospice relies heavily on voluntary donations, community fundraising campaigns, and retail shops to cover its operational expenditure. While a portion of funding is provided through the National Health Service (NHS), the vast majority of running costs must be generated through public contributions and community initiative events like Strictly St Francis. Large-scale public gatherings serve the dual purpose of generating necessary revenue and maintaining public engagement across the hospice’s catchment area.

Prediction: How this development can affect the local community and hospice care services

The successful execution of the Strictly St Francis fundraising event and the achievement of its £50,000 target will directly impact the hospice’s operational sustainability and the broader local community.

For St Francis Hospice, securing £50,000 in voluntary funds helps mitigate ongoing financial pressures driven by rising operational costs, inflation, and increasing demand for end-of-life care across East London and South West Essex. Reaching this financial goal ensures the continued delivery of free, specialized medical care, home visits, and family support services without requiring reductions in service availability.

For the local community, high-profile fundraising events provide an accessible platform for civic participation and local philanthropy. By framing charitable giving within an entertaining, high-energy format, the hospice strengthens community cohesion and deepens public awareness regarding palliative care. Furthermore, the public involvement of local figures and bereaved family members helps demystify hospice environments, fostering open conversations around end-of-life care, bereavement support, and long-term volunteer engagement across Havering and surrounding boroughs.