WITH her first rehearsal under her belt, Cheshire Constabulary’s Acting Chief Constable Janette McCormick has announced her dance partner and coach for the St Luke’s Hospice Strictly Learn to Dance fundraiser.

She will be taking to the Strictly floor with a fellow member of the emergency services, former ambulance staffer Kevin Shufflebottom from Biddulph.

Janette and Kevin at rehearsals

As well as social dancing, Kevin keeps fit by running. He is chair of Biddulph Running Club, Race Director for the Knype Pool 5 Mayors Charity Race and has been involved in the running scene for almost 30 year. Now retired from running full marathons, Kevin has completed, amongst others, the London Marathon not once but four times. He is a run leader with England Athletics and is very active in encouraging individuals to take up the sport when they think they can’t run...a little like Strictly Learn to Dance!

Teaching the contestants their moves is professional dancer turned dance coach, Steve Brandreth. Steve teaches ballroom, Latin and other current dance styles at a variety of venues in Cheshire and Staffordshire. He has over 25 years of experience, including dancing at international level with a successful career representing England abroad as a junior dancer.

Fresh from first rehearsal, Janette said: “Although aching in muscles I didn’t know I had, I thoroughly enjoyed our first rehearsal. Kevin and I are going to be working hard over the next couple of months to perfect our sequence. Kevin has more dance experience than I do but we’re both competitive so, as well as wanting to raise as much money as possible for St Luke’s, we’re also in it to win it!”.

Coach Steve was certainly impressed with Janette's first rehearsal: " As soon as we met Janette back in December we thought ‘hello, hello, hello, this lady means business'. Tall and classy… she looks the part for a quickstep but can she dance?

"After just one week we now know, the answer. Can she dance? Oh blimey - yes she can. We gave her some pendulum swings, hops and locks out of curiosity (competitive and highly technical figures) and she simply took it in her stride and is gelling well with Kevin. This lady is in it to win it”.

The Acting Chief Constable in a more familiar role at the end of a recent firearms amnesty

Janette and Kevin will be showing off their polished routines at the grand final of St Luke’s Strictly Learn to Dance at Crewe Hall on Saturday, March 24. Tickets can be ordered from St Luke’s Hospice website - https://www.stlukes-hospice.co.uk/events/strictly/ - or by calling Catherine on 01606 555832.

 Anyone wishing to donate to Janette’s quest with Kevin can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/j-owen7