DESPITE a near-miss involving an ill-placed glass door during dance practice, and a toe injury, Tracey Nicholls and Mick Parsons’s Charleston adventure will remain one of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences of their lives.

The pair, who had the proverbial time of their lives are now urging others to follow in their footsteps and let their inner Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey loose for Prospect Hospice’s Let’s Dance competition.

Gripped by a gnawing fear of humiliation – particularly strong in Mick’s case – the couple were not prepared for what awaited them when they finally signed up to the Strictly-style dance competition: pure and unadulterated fun.

“I took a bit of persuading,” said Mick, 51, a book-buyer at WH Smith. “I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of lots of people.

“Tracey rang me at work to say that she wanted us to consider it, and I said that I would go along to watch some of the lessons first. I thought, well if we don’t now, we never will, so we signed up, and ended up having a great time and raising money for the hospice.”

By the second session the couple were in it to win it and chose a Charleston routine.

Word of the glittery dance-off quickly got round Mick’s office and soon they were challenged to perform in front of his colleagues in exchange for generous donations.

“My colleagues were absolutely brilliant,” said Mick. “They asked us to come in one lunchtime and perform our dance, and Tracey gave a talk on the work of the hospice. It all helped hugely towards raising more than £3,000 in total – much more than we ever expected to raise. Many of my colleagues came along to the performance too.”

As could be expected, the weeks leading up to the competition proved a healthy blend of trial and error, not least when Mick all but flew through his patio door in the middle of rehearsal.

But the couple took the minor glitches in their stride.

“The only damage it caused was when we practised around the house and during one move he nearly went through the patio door and in another routine he broke his toe ,”added Tracey, 43 an area shops manager for Prospect Hospice. “But we laughed a lot practicing.

“We got one-on-one time in the lessons and they helped us put everything together. We didn’t feel rushed. And I didn’t feel like we were going to make total fools of ourselves on the night. We had a good time.”

This year, the event will see 15 couples learn their steps over eight weeks throughout the autumn, before a big performance on Friday, November 28 at the Link Centre. With five couples already registered, and only ten places left, Prospect Hospice is inviting fundraisers to shed their inhibitions and take part.

“Many people tell us that Let’s Dance is one of the most fun fundraising event that we put on,” said events fundraiser Genevieve Arney.

“And the couples who take part, even the ones who were the most nervous at the beginning, always tell us that they have had an unforgettable experience and wish they could do it all again next year!”