You’ve heard that music and dancing is good for the heart – well, Romney Marsh Morris have been working and dancing hard, raising money for an organisation which is at the heart of their community.
At a recent practice session, the members of Romney Marsh Morris were pleased to present the proceeds of all their fundraising efforts in 2022 to Romney Marsh Community Hub. Not only have they been going round their audiences, far and wide, with their charity bucket, but they have run their own make and buy sale, held singing evenings, collected 5 pence pieces, knitted and sold robins, donated to a virtual Christmas card and held a grand Christmas raffle, to raise a whopping £2,435.76.
The Morris dancing side, which comprises of over 50 members, and are based in New Romney, are in their 7th year, and over that time have supported a variety of good causes, including the food bank, Hystio UK, and Littlestone RNLI, raising an increasing amount of money each year.
“Romney Marsh Morris members choose a charity each year to support, and we were especially pleased that this last year was one that is so local to us,” commented Judith Ruffhead, the squire of Romney Marsh Morris.
“In these times of financial hardship, we are overwhelmed by the generosity of our members, friends and supporters who have made it possible for us to raise this amount, and we thank everyone who donated. We also were pleased to be able to offer physical support to the Romney Marsh Community Hub, by dancing for them when HRH the Duke of Gloucester visited, and by assisting with Christmas gift wrapping and card writing for their clients. In addition, we are grateful to them for helping us out, by allowing us a space to hold several of our ‘bootcamp’ sessions.”
CEO of the community hub, Jon Wilson, on receiving the giant cheque, explained the vital importance of the fund raising to assist them to offer help and services to the older people living across Romney Marsh, particularly more isolated people, and thanked the Morris side for their support and hard work.
Romney Marsh Morris are now practicing hard for their exciting new performance season, which kicks off with a spring equinox music and singing event on Saturday, March 18 at 8pm at The British Lion, in Folkestone. They can then be seen dancing for St George’s Day on April 23 at Unit 1, West Hythe, and on May 1 in Greatstone and Deal, ahead of their summer season. The full programme and details of the side can be seen on their Facebook page or by visiting www.romneymarshmorris.com
Image Credits: Romney Marsh Morris .