@burton_yfc It’s been an incredible weekend – 48 prom dresses given out worth over £13,000. Wishing all of the lovely ladies we met today, a great exam season and a magic prom! We’ll see you again in 2027! #prom #promdress #promshop
At the end of February we opened a pop-up prom shop at the Community Church for one weekend. Working with each of the 10 secondary schools in our area, we had the opportunity to invite every girl in Year 11 who would have struggled to afford a prom dress.
“This was a wonderful experience for myself and my daughter. Seeing her confidence lift was worth more than gold. Many thanks to all the ladies for the opportunity we otherwise wouldn’t have had.”
“Lovely welcoming staff. this is really incredible and made me feel extremely happy in being able to get a dress that I feel really gorgeous in.”
“As a parent I was dreading the expense of prom, but you have made everything okay. Thank you thank you thank you!”
The weekend was truly beautiful! We had over 180 prom dresses that had been donated from bridal shops or as-new donations from individuals, and we were able to set up a full boutique experience for each girl who arrived. We were joined by whole families wanting to mark this special occasion in their daughter’s life, where they were able to see them transform in confidence as each girl learned about their individual style, tried on many dresses, and found their dream dress. Parents chilled in the cafe and offered encouragement whilst the personal shoppers helped to show each girl how ‘fearfully and beautifully made’ they each were.
It was noticeable how lacking in confidence many of the girls were, in how they walked, in what dresses they chose initially, in not having opinions for themselves, and it was such a joy to watch the transformation that took place over the next hour or so, as they got bolder and brighter in their choices and opinions. Some went from hiding in the changing area to doing a full-on cat walk through the church! One girl shared her painful story with us which had resulted in a total lack of self worth and identity, but after two hours of journeying through her difficulties and sharing with one of our volunteers she emerged from the changing rooms and uttered the words ‘wow, I feel really pretty!’ We all cried!
Overall, we were able to give away 48 dresses to girls from 8 local schools and can’t wait to see photos from Prom Night!
Sue Jolley