Secret dancer Liam's got star quality

A charity dance contest has become the hottest ticket in town for staff at water company United Utilities – netting £50,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support’s regional fund.

The competition, inspired by the BBC’s hit ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ series, partners workers with professional dancers for weeks of training before a glittering finale and is one of the most sought after events in the firm’s calendar.

Since starting in 2010, the total raised for various charities has topped £300,000.

This year ten couples performed before an assembled audience of 400 at Southport’s Floral Hall.

The winner was Maria de Cabo Ramos from Ropewalks, in Liverpool, a customer services manager with United Utilities’ facilities management company EMCOR, whose cha-cha-cha with professional Mark Garrity won the plaudits of judges.

But a close second was waterworks controller Liam Kiely, from Shaw, who ripped off his high vis jacket to jive with professional dancer Cara Tighe.

The biggest surprise was for Liam’s 15-year-old daughter Lia, herself a keen ballroom dancer, who had no idea what her dad was up to when he invited her along to sit in the audience.

For Liam, aged 48, the hardest thing was keeping it from Lia.

He said: “I did my training for three months and she never knew. On the night I pretended that I’d been called to work and couldn’t go.

"But when she arrived and saw me on the posters she knew straight away.

"She gave me nine and a half out of ten.

"I did it to make her proud but I didn’t expect what a buzz I would get out of it. I’m a real lads’ lad but I’ve signed up for lessons again and I’m contemplating doing it competitively.”

The gala audience were also treated to a demonstration dance, combining a Viennese waltz and an English waltz, by Russ Houlden, United Utilities’ chief financial officer, with his pro partner, Kimberly Taylor.

Event organiser Lynne Friery said the competition gets better every year.

She said: “It’s a fantastic event to be part of and everyone involved made it a night to remember, and to raise such an amazing amount for a great cause is brilliant. This year we increased the number of finalists because the auditions were of such a high standard."

Money raised comes from the sponsorship gathered by the individual dancers, matched funding from United Utilities, donations and the sale of tickets for the gala finale.