Brighton charity bosses dancing with delight as midsummer ball raises £60k

A midsummer ball on Brighton seafront raised £60,000 for charity last night (Saturday 22 June).

Almost 500 people attended the Hilton Brighton Metropole Midsummer Ball. The organisers hoped that they would reach a target of £40,000 which they comfortably exceeded.

They were raising funds for the Hilton in the Community Foundation and Rockinghorse, the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton.

One of the highlights of the evening was a celebrity jive contest with Zoe Ball and Sid Sloane as celebrity judges.

The boss of brightonandhovejobs.com, Gary Peters, won the Strictly Come Dancing style competition, having had just five hours of training with his professional dancing partner.

The ball is one of the biggest local fundraising events of the year and included a sparkling drinks reception, three-course dinner, after-dinner entertainment and indoor dodgems.