THE magic of Bollywood came to the Peninsula on Saturday at a fund-raising fling with flair.

BBC presenter Roo Irvine and her ‘Bollywood Queens’ set the mood when they sprung a sizzling surprise dance act on a delighted audience at the bash held by Cove and Kilcreggan Bowling Club.

The sold out event saw 160 supporters pack Cove Burgh Hall to kick start a five-year campaign to raise £100,000 towards building a new clubhouse in Craigrownie Park.

And an auction and raffle, hosted by Antiques Roadtrip expert Roo, helped bring in more than £7,200 for the club and their charity this year – Motor Neurone Disease Scotland.

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Club chairperson John Neal said: “It was a fantastic success and the whole village came together to give so generously.

“We were full to capacity with everyone saying it was an excellent evening with many people putting in a tremendous effort to make it an incredible night to remember.”

The Indian-themed event dubbed “Bowllywood Night” was supported by two Helensburgh businesses - multi-award winning Annaya’s Indian restaurant and Cattle and Creel Steakhouse and Seafood Bar.

BBC presenter Roo and her Kilcreggan friends donned embellished Indian dresses to perform an exuberant dance to the Hindi hit “Jai Ho” from Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.

There was also a sensuous solo dance by the talented TV star Roo before everyone was treated to a buffet feast of fine Indian cuisine served up by the well known faces of Annaya’s – Zak, Ibby and their team.

Guests enjoyed a sumptuous banquet of six flavoursome starters and five delicious mains as well as an abundance of side dishes and sauces.

Meanwhile two mixologists from Cattle and Creel shook premium cocktails at their pop up bar and there were also top wines and fizz as well as beer on tap.

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Roo compered the auction and raffle before Glasgow’s resident ‘Buff Club’ DJ, Nick Peacock of Clynder, turned up the heat even more with an eclectic mix of reggae, funk and floor fillers which had everyone on their feet.

Roo said: “The night was a perfect combination of brilliant music, award-winning food and cocktails, excellent dance performances and impressive fundraising and community spirit.

“I was blown away by the sheer diversity of people that turned up to support the bowling club and Motor Neurone Disease.

“It really was an event that’s hard to beat.”

Supporter Erik Shields of Cove added: “Everyone is still talking about it and saying how fantastic it was. It was a truly well organised evening with the community coming together to support a local cause.”

The bowling clubhouse opened in 1907 and more recently became one of the first bowling clubs in Scotland to encourage equal male and female membership following long term support from the ladies section, as a picture from 1912 shows – with many other clubs not following suit until sometime later.

The century old club’s plan to raise six figures for a new clubhouse includes creating public and accessible toilets for all park users, baby change facilities, car parking and improved access to the park.

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John expressed thanks to everyone involved in the event “from the dancers to the bar staff, the sponsors and the volunteers washing glasses and plates behind the scenes”.

He added: “A huge thank you also to all the bowling club members for their support and in setting up the hall and for the table decorations kindly donated by Kirsty of The Flower Shop, Helensburgh.”

DJ Nick was also praised for his “class act” and Cove Burgh Hall volunteers John Webb and Phil Wood for overseeing lighting and sound.

Photographer Bethany Rose Dunn of SPOT Creative Agency was also thanked for giving her time to capture the event - she was responsible for all the pictures from the evening featured here.

John said they were planning a similar event next year and added: “It was the event of the year – we could have sold the tickets two times over. And we’ve already got ticket requests for next year.”

Anyone wishing to help with the funding of the rebuild of the club can get in touch by emailing Covekilcregganbc@outlook.com.

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