12/07/2026
💜 THANK YOU, BRACKLEY… WHAT A NIGHT! 💜
I’m still trying to find the words to describe what we experienced on Saturday evening.
A SOLD-OUT SHOW.
Over £5,000 raised for charity… and still counting!
26 incredible people
One unforgettable night.
From the bottom of my heart… THANK YOU.
To every contestant, every professional dancer, every volunteer, every sponsor, every supporter and every single person who bought a ticket you made this happen.
This show means more to me than most people will ever know.
Brackley will always be incredibly close to my heart because it was the first town I came to when I moved to England as a 24-year-old with nothing but a dream. It was here, in 2005 at Brackley Town Hall, that I taught my very first dance class. Then, in 2011, we created the original Strictly Brackley.
There have been moments over the years when I questioned whether this journey would continue. After the pandemic, I was deeply disappointed when someone I trusted decided to create their own version after being part of this project. It hurt because I had always believed loyalty and friendship meant something.
But I’ve learned something very important…
You can copy a name, you can copy an idea, but you can never copy the heart, passion and people behind it.
This is, and always will be, the original Strictly Brackley, and Saturday night proved exactly why.
If I’m honest, a few months ago I wasn’t even sure this year’s show would happen.
We started with just 6 contestants.
I remember thinking, “Will we have enough people? Will we make it?”
Then, one by one, people joined.
Twenty-six amazing local people stepped outside their comfort zones, trusted us, worked incredibly hard and became one amazing family.
That is the real magic of Strictly.
Watching people arrive saying, “I can’t dance,” and then seeing them perform in front of a packed audience with confidence, huge smiles and standing ovations is why I do what I do.
It isn’t just about dancing.
It’s about confidence.
It’s about friendship.
It’s about believing in yourself.
It’s about community.
And it’s about changing lives while raising money for causes that matter.
To every one of our contestants you should be incredibly proud of yourselves. You inspired your families, your friends and everyone watching.
To our incredible professional dancers, thank you for giving your time, patience, encouragement and talent. You helped make dreams come true.
To our wonderful Claire Readman & Sophia Neesome, volunteers, backstage team, judges, Compères, DJ ,sponsors and everyone who worked behind the scenes you are the reason evenings like this are possible.
Most importantly, thank you to every single person who came along, bought a ticket, donated and supported our charities. Together we have already raised over £5,000, with more still to come.
This is what happens when a community comes together.
This is people power ❤️
Thank you for believing in me, believing in this project and keeping the original Strictly Brackley spirit alive.
I couldn’t be prouder.
We’ll be back… and I already can’t wait to do it all again next year.
Until then…
Keep Dancing! 💜🕺💃
Andrzej 🫶🏻
