Zumbathon raises thousands for flood relief appeal

Organised by Zumba instructor Julie Goodwin, the high energy event raised more than £1,000 for those affected by the Boxing Day floods.

Around 150 fundraisers packed into the Inspire Centre at Calderdale College for the charity fitness ‘Storm Trooper’ session.

It’s a cause close to organiser Julie’s heart, as she saw first-hand the devastation wrought by flooding.

“I have some close friends who were badly affected by the floods, at the time people were going to help and clean up and I knew I wanted to do something,” Julie, 41, of Northowram said.

“My job teaching Zumba is all about bringing communities and people together so I decided to put on an event. It was absolutely amazing.

“Calderdale College covered the cost of using the Inspire Centre because of what the event was for and we had about 150 people turn up.

“Everybody was really going for it - I’ve had so many messages from people saying that they loved it.

“I was quite taken aback by the support and the atmosphere was really brilliant.

“A few people had never done Zumba before in their life - one lady said she had never laughed or had as much fun doing exercise.”

Julie, who teaches Zumba at PureGym, Broad Street Plaza, Halifax, added that the current total stands at around £1,400, but there is still more sponsorship money to be collected.

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