ZOE Ball judged a Strictly Come Dancing–style competition at a charity ball which raised thousands of pounds.

ROCKINGHORSE children’s charity held the World Cup–themed Mid Summer Ball at the Hilton Brighton Metropole’s Oxford Gallery on Saturday.

The event included samba, Brazilian–style decorations and a full–sized dodgems fair attraction in an adjacent room.

A total of 370 guests raised £65,700 to be divided between Rockinghorse and the Hilton in the Community Foundation, a charity providing training and support for young people.

Four contestants had been given five hours of training to compete in the Brazilian–themed dancing competition.

The Argus:

The trophy was won by Richard Skerritt, managing director of event sponsor Skerritts Consultants. Children’s television presenter Sidney Sloane also took part in the competition.

After judging the dancing, Ms Ball – who is a keen supporter of Rockinghorse – stayed for the auction, successfully bidding £3,000 for a private dining experience for 10 with the Gingerman Rest-aurant Group.

Rockinghorse is the official fund-raising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, Brighton.

The money raised will go towards life–saving equipment. A spokeswoman for Rockinghorse said: “We raised £70,000 last year, but that time we had a lot more people so this is a really good result.

“It was a great night with people partying till two in the morning. “Based on how well it went we are looking at expanding the partnership with Hilton to a third year.”

The event was also sponsored by Rix and Kay solicitors.

For more information, and details of Rockinghorse’s work, see rockinghorse.org.uk.