Northumbria University Students Get Newcastle Grooving in One-Off Event

Friday, 7th March, was a night to remember for a group of degree students at Northumbria University as their Groove on the Tyne (GOTT) event took place to raise funds for NE Youth.

Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Northumbria and Newcastle University guests, they were able to raise an astonishing £3,315!

Last year, we were invited to speak to students of the Events Management module about our charity and the work we do. We were later contacted by several students who wanted to raise funds for us through an event they would create, manage, and host themselves.

Those industrious students are Sam Forsberg, Charlie Jackson, Libby Taylor-Hopkins, Harvey Park, John Williams, and Will Hartley. Their concept of a Strictly Come Dancing-style event was named Groove on the Tyne. After months of hard work and careful planning, the evening had arrived.

Dancers Get the Crowd Going with Superb Performances

 

Hosted at the Northumbria University Students’ Union by Nick Britten, eight couples battled it out to win the evening’s trophies in front of a sell-out crowd. At the end, two couples were locked on maximum points awarded by the four judges, including NE Youth’s Simon Cataudo. A final dance-off ensued, with the final vote decided by the cheers, shouts, and applause of the assembled guests. Using a decibel monitor, Thalia Morfitt and Olly Scanlan – with their Flashdance-inspired performance – were declared the winners by just two decibels over rivals Eve Ducker and Fergus Burtt!

A raffle of specially donated prizes from local businesses (including Newcastle United v Brentford tickets) helped swell the takings for the evening and boost the donation to NE Youth.

The GOTT team delivered a truly superb event, one they will rightly be proud of and that will be remembered for years to come.

An Ongoing Relationship with Northumbria University

 

NE Youth’s Simon Cataudo had this to say:

“We were excited by the prospect of working with the University’s faculty and students in helping create a unique fundraising event that would be a great addition to our 90th-anniversary year calendar, as well as providing the opportunity for young people to gain valuable experience that would benefit their education. We couldn’t have hoped for a better result in terms of both the amount raised and the quality of the event. In the end, our input was minimal – guidance and support – so to see what Team GOTT was able to make happen was incredible. Their attention to detail, creativity, and dedication was superb. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome and look forward to continuing our collaboration with Northumbria University.”

We’re so grateful to all involved in this truly memorable occasion for their passion and hard work.

We hope you enjoy the splendid photographs by Ben Lumm as much as we enjoyed the evening – more are available to view here.

Six smartly-dressed people in their early twenties pose in front of a media wall showing the NE Youth logo. They are wearing tuxedos and gowns as they smile looking directly at the camera. A couple dance in front of a seated formal audience. A couple dance in front of a seated formal audience. Two smiling young women in sequin dresses speak to a man wearing a tuxedo holding a microphone. Young people having fun on a dancefloor under flourescent coloured light A couple dance in front of a seated formal audience. They both wear cheerleader outfits. A man dressed in a tuxedo speaks to two dancers as he makes an announcement. A couple dance in front of a seated formal audience. A couple dance in front of a seated formal audience. A male DJ plays music, a companion dances alongside him. A group photo of competitive dancers in their early twenties pose for a photo, smiling at the camera. A young blonde woman smiles and points to a prize envelope. A dancer dressed in a leotard, leg warmers and headband leaps into a ballet pose on a dancefloor in front of a formally-dressed crowd. A couple dance in front of a seated formal audience.