Our daughter Emily, 10, has qualified to compete at the Dance World Cup in Dublin this summer, and we're asking for a bit of help to get her there.

The Dance World Cup is one of the largest competitive dance events in the world, with thousands of young dancers from more than 60 countries qualifying through national rounds. Emily went to her first DWC last year in Spain and came home with three bronze medals - two with her small ballet groups, and one as part of a larger showstopper piece. It was an incredible experience and the kind of thing that stays with you.

This year she'll be performing in 3 dances in Dublin. Closer to home, she's had a brilliant season too: she recently won first place in both solo modern and solo lyrical at her regional championships, and she'll be heading to the national grand finals later this summer.

Competing at this level isn't cheap - flights, accommodation, entry fees, costumes, and the extra training and choreography all add up - and we cover the bulk of it ourselves. We're hoping to raise £700 to help offset some of the costs. Anything you can spare would mean a huge amount to Emily, and we'll share photos and updates from Dublin so you can see where your contribution went.

Thank you so much for reading, and for any support you can give.

The Bowden family x