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A team of consultants from the Beatson Cancer Charity swapped their scrubs for dancing shoes and lifted the winning trophy at the highly anticipated “Strictly Beatson” event on Saturday night. Hosted at the DoubleTree Hilton Glasgow Central, the event welcomed nearly 600 guests, all coming together to support five teams battling it out on the dancefloor, raising vital funds for the charity.
Hosted by TV and radio presenter Bryan Burnett, the event featured Team Beatson, Team David Lloyd Hamilton, Team Terumo, Team Billy Bowie, and Team Savills, with a "Movie Night" theme.
An incredible £93,395.48 was raised thanks to the generosity of the guests and the fundraising efforts of the teams, who balanced their dance rehearsals with collecting donations for the Beatson Cancer Charity.
Team Beatson, who were the first to take the stage, performed alongside their professional duo, husband-and-wife team Warren and Dianne Brown. The team, made up of Professor Anthony Chalmers (Chair of Clinical Oncology at the University of Glasgow and the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre), oncologists Hilary Glen, Manreet Randhawa, Brendan McCann, Rob Jones, and consultant palliative care physician Eilidh Burns, danced to the iconic Mary Poppins.
PICTURED: Team Beatson Dancing to Mary Poppins
Despite their demanding professional roles, the doctors embraced the challenge, balancing busy lives treating cancer patients and leading research at the forefront of oncology, while committing to regular dance rehearsals. Professor Chalmers and his team are normally found conducting clinical trials and providing life-saving care at the Beatson, where they work tirelessly to improve outcomes for cancer patients. Their dedication to Strictly Beatson mirrored their work ethos, giving their all on the dancefloor and raising over £8,300 for the charity during their rehearsal period.
Professor Chalmers reflected on the experience, saying: "It was totally overwhelming hearing Team Beatson being called out as the winners. The love from the room was humbling and very touching, not just from our supporters, but from everyone. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I definitely want to keeeep dancing!"
Team David Lloyd Hamilton performed to songs from Sister Act, Team Terumo tackled the suave and sophisticated James Bond theme, Team Billy Bowie channelled the energy of Bohemian Rhapsody, and Team Savills grooved to music from Austin Powers.
PICTURED: Team Savills Dancing to Austin Powers
The judging panel was made up of five judges: head judge Barbara McColl Stopford BEM, who is considered as one of the greatest female dancer in the history of Latin American dancing; James Wilson, who has previously been an assistant choreographer for Strictly Come Dancing and a dancer on Dancing with the Stars Turkey; TV personality and former British Champion Highland Dancer Phil MacHugh, radio presenter and five-time World Champion dancer Roisin McCourt and Lelia Stewart, who has been fortunate enough to have toured alongside Strictly Come Dancing’s Pasha Kovalev in to of his National UK theatre tours.
Guests were also treated to a performance from last year’s winners, made up of employees from Arnold Clark. Ballroom Fever also performed on the night.
The judges picked Team Beatson and Team Savills to go into the final and after a thrilling head-to-head between Team Beatson and Team Savills, Team Beatson was crowned the night’s champions.
Professional dancers Warren and Dianne Brown praised Team Beatson, saying: “They were such great fun—committed, determined, and inquisitive to learn the dance. It feels surreal to have won, but Team Beatson deserved this.”
Susan Brodie, Events Manager at Beatson Cancer Charity: expressed her gratitude to all the teams and professional dancers, saying, “We are so grateful for the immense amount of hard work and dedication that went into both the performances and the fundraising. The event was a huge success, raising an incredible amount of money, which will go towards supporting so many patients and their families.”
