A TOUCH of Hill Billy country came to Alton High Street when a group of Appalachian dancers and their toe-tapping musicians performed outside the British Heart Foundation shop before presenting a £400 cheque to the charity.

It was handed by dancer Jane Parsons to Gemma Hodgkiss, the foundations fundraising manager for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, accompanied by shop manager Luke Finch.

She thanked them all for their generous donation and the entertainment they had provided.

Jane explained they had decided to raise money for the charity after Gregg’s wife, Margaret needed treatment for a heart complaint “And we collected the money during our performances at fetes, events and weddings. Our dancers come from all around the Alton area.”

Then it was on with the performance and despite the heat and having to dance on the pavement the Aton-based Knickerbocker Appalachian dancers, Sylvia Whitlock, Bob Shatwell and his wife Lesley, Gregg Walker, and Peter Roe went into on of their fast, heel-kicking routines to the tune of ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’.

By now shoppers were gathering to watch and applaud and so the group swung into another dance and as a result some of the public gave a donation to the shop.

The dances Knickerbocker Glory performed are from the Appalachian Mountains in North America and the name Appalachian comes from the Appalachee Indians, who inhabited the land before settlers from Ireland, Scotland and England arrived in the18th century.

Dressed in her colourful skirt and jacket Sylvia explained that the dances were a mix of the steps and dances the immigrants brought with them to America plus some Native American dances and Bob added “We decided we wanted to do something different, so we took up Appalachian dancing.”

The group, which has been dancing for over 50 years, meets at St Lawrence’s Church Hall on Monday nights and new members are welcome.