A FITNESS and dance group came together to raise important funds for charity.

Three Zumba instructors, Emma Atkinson, Beverley Parris, and Sarah Marshall, alongside more than 40 attendees, danced their socks off for two hours straight, in aid of diabetes.

The event, held at Notley High School in Braintree, saw people keeping fit and raising money for charity through hard work, sweat and determination.

Zumba was founded by Colombian dancer and choreographer Beto Pérez in 2001 and has become overwhelmingly popular.

It is a mix of low and high-intensity Latin dance moves, making for an interval-style, calorie-burning dance fitness party.

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Zumba instructors Emma and Beverley hold weekly Zumba classes in Braintree and wanted to create an exciting event to bring people together and enjoy themselves while raising money at the same time.

The event was a very sweaty two-hours of dancing fun, with one attended saying “it is the best medicine for the soul”.

The afternoon was a great success, with plenty of happy faces and pennies raised.

In total, class participants as well as donations gathered raised £583 for Diabetes UK.

The three instructors said: “Thank you to everyone for making this event happen, we couldn’t have done it without you."