Strictly Inverness dancer leaps to success
ONE Strictly Inverness contestant’s hot to trot fundraising event raised hundreds of pounds for two local charities.
Lee Macdonald (48) recently held her Strictly showjumping event at the Cairn O’Mhor Livery Yard in Dingwall with 24 competitors taking part, raising over £500 for both the Highland Hospice and Inverness Ice Centre.
It was 14-year-old Morgan Mackay with her British sports horse Tricky that claimed the most improved rider title on the day with each contestant getting feedback after their first round before tackling the second.
Unbeknown to the judges Miss Mackay has a metal rod in her back with her condition only being revealed after the competition had taken place.
Miss Macdonald was impressed with the teenager and already has plans to turn the day into an annual event given how much everyone liked the format.
“She was such a gutsy rider,” she said. “The judges came out, gave her the feedback and she took on everything and made the most improvement.
“There would be some changes I would make to it. A lot of them were experienced riders but what they really liked was getting the feedback after the first round and seeing what they had to work on. Because they got scored we were able to see the difference and everybody’s score from the first round to the second round improved.”
Strictly Inverness kicks off on Wednesday, May 17 running for four days until May 20. A group of 30 dancers will take to the floor to showcase two individual performances.
