Strictly star Anton Du Beke waltzes in to honour Wolverhampton carers - PICTURES and VIDEO
Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke put his twinkle toes to good use when he made a surprise visit to the city.
The ballroom star, who features on the BBC One show, brought his dancing magic to residents at Sunrise of Tettenhall on Wednesday.
An activity room at the Wergs Road care home was transformed into a dance hall as Anton waltzed across the floor.
WATCH Anton in action
His visit came after he teamed up with company Richmond to surprise carers at the Wolverhampton home and thank them for the work they do within the community.
Anton said: "The team at Sunrise of Tettenhall do an amazing job, and I really hope they enjoyed the surprise that Richmond and I put together for them.
"Carers do such important work. It’s fantastic that they were recognised as one of the nation's favourite workforces, and I’d personally like to say thank you, on behalf of the nation, for the work that they do.”
Unsuspecting carers headed to what they believed was a regional meeting in the activity room but were instead greeted by a performance from Anton.
A swing band and confetti cannons added to the surprise visit, which saw carers given the chance to take to the floor for a once-in-a-lifetime dance class with the master himself.
Many of the care home residents were in on the secret and waited patiently with Anton before giving their carers a heroes' welcome.
Geraldine Bunning, activities and volunteers co-ordinator at the care home, said: "When Richmond contacted us to say they wanted to bring Anton along to say thank you to our carers we naturally jumped at the chance – not only was it incredible to be able to do this for them, but we’re all such big fans of Anton’s.
"Getting the residents involved to show their appreciation, was also so special – it’s not a day we’ll forget in a hurry."
Anton's visit came after people across the country voted for their most cherished workforces as part of Richmond's Nation's Favourite's campaign.
Carers made the top 10 list, with nurses, the armed forces, doctors, paramedics, farmers, teachers, police, firefighters and lifeboat crews also reaching the top spots.
Marketing director at Richmond Sausages Dawn Spencer said: "At Richmond we’re all about bringing people together and we’re on a mission to celebrate all of the nation’s favourite things – the simple things that make us feel good.
"Our nation is made up of some amazing people, so we thought it was time we said thank you to these everyday heroes, like the amazing team at Sunrise of Tettenhall and all the other carers throughout the UK who provide incredible support to millions of people on a daily basis."
