Following the death of a much-loved friend who had a rare neurological disease, Stevenage’s Eleni Koureas is holding a Latin danceathon to raise money to help fund vital research into the medical condition.

Eleni Koureas is gearing up to dance for 7.5 hours - the length of a work day - at a danceathon at Hitchin's Kingshott School on December 1 and is inviting people to join her for as little or as long as they would like to pledge.

She said: "This danceathon is in loving memory of family friend Peter Dunn, who suffered from a rare neurological disease called corticobasal syndrome and sadly passed away in September as a result of complications caused by the disease."

Corticobasal syndrome causes gradually worsening problems with movement, speech, memory and swallowing due to increasing numbers of brain cells becoming damaged or dying over time.

Eleni said: "Having been diagnosed with the condition, Peter requested that on his death his brain be donated to University College London's Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders to help doctors find a cure for this horrible condition.

"Although corticobasal syndrome affects only 1 in 20,000, there are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, and UCL needs our support to fund vital medical research."

Starting at 1pm with the cha cha cha, the danceathon will incorporate six beginner sessions including samba, salsa and jive.

Eleni has partnered with Hitchin dance school Lead to Dance to deliver the danceathon and you can pledge to dance for an hour, dip in and out of your chosen classes, or dance the length of your work day.

No dance experience is necessary and anybody aged 11 or over is welcome to attend - although children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Eleni said: "Come solo or with a group. Our Latin danceathon is the perfect opportunity to discover some new dance styles all under one roof. Participants are encouraged to come in Latin-inspired fancy dress, but it's not essential."

It's £15 per person in advance or £20 on the door - subject to availability. Pay in advance by donating via justgiving.com/fundraising/hitchindanceathon and providing your name.

For more information, visit facebook.com/HitchinDanceathon