A DRUMCHAPEL girl and her partner have taken part in a dance event and helped to raise more than £14,000 for charity.

Ellie Gillan and Zac McGoldrick danced their socks off in the Glasgow Hilton hotel as part of Strictly Kids 2018.

At the fundraising event, ran by BlueStar Productions in aid of the STV Children’s Appeal, 46 children were coupled up and trained in Latin and ballroom dancing.

Ellie, age 10, from Drumchapel, has been street dancing for two years and attends Chris Parry’s classes in Base 81 Studio, Clydebank.

Zac, also aged 10, from Bishopbriggs had never danced before.

They auditioned for the event, which was taking place for the first time, back in June and the youngsters, who didn’t know each other, got through to the final and were paired together.

Ellie and Zac spent lots of time training together for the big event, which was held on Sunday, December 9.

They performed a salsa routine in front of a 700-strong audience.

Although they didn’t win, they scored an amazing 49 points out of 50 – and both of them gained a friend in each other.

Jacqualene Gorman, Ellie’s mum, said: “It was amazing – it was a good experience for everyone. Every single one of the kids loved it.

“I’m very proud of Ellie – she had an absolute ball. Some of the kids had not even danced before and they gave it their all for a good cause.

“Kids helping kids is the way forward.”

Lynne McGoldrick, Zac’s mum, said: “I wanted Zac to have a chance to do something out of his depth. He usually does football and Muay Thai but he loved it.

“He was so brave never to have danced before and get up and do his routine. It was a big ask.”

Each of the 23 couples took part in fundraising and more than £14,000 was raised in total.

To raise cash for projects that support children at risk of poverty, Ellie and Zac took part in danceathons sponsored by their family and friends and organised raffles.

Both of them plan to take part in next year’s event.