ON the face of it, pole-dancing and hospice care might appear poles apart.

Laurence Cawley

ON the face of it, pole-dancing and hospice care might appear poles apart.

But a cabaret night planned to raise cash for St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds aims to change all that with aerobic talents from across of west Suffolk.

The night has been organised by husband and wife entertainers, Pete Buchanan and Dawn Vickerage, who teaches 20 dance classes a week in the Bury area.

By pooling their talents, the pair plan to lay on a complete cabaret set including pole-dancing, salsa and hip-hop displays.

Mrs Vickerage said: “Pole dancing is a fantastic way of getting fit and it is great fun. We have been really impressed with the talent in all of the classes and we are delighted that we are raising money for the hospice.

“It is one of those charities that need a lot of money to survive and you never know when you might need it.”

She said she was hugely impressed with the dancing talent in west Suffolk and felt a cabaret evening would be an ideal way to showcase this.

“With all the people I teach, I have seen so many talented girls that I wanted to give them something to aspire to. We wanted to put on a variety night to showcase the great talent we have seen across West Suffolk,” she said.

Mrs Vickerage is a dancer, choreographer and presenter who starred as one of the 'Tiller Girls' in the Danny La Rue Show and then on the critically acclaimed Spirit of the Dance in America. Her husband is a comedy presenter, singer and personality DJ whom she met while working on a cruise ship.

Tickets cost �5 and more details on the cabaret evening - which takes place on September 24 at Ravenwood Hall, Rougham - is available on 01284 724535 or 07747 777928.

The Bury hospice, which celebrates its 25th birthday this year, has supported 50,000 local people since its inception. As a registered charity, St Nicholas Hospice Care has to raise �10,000 every day through donations.