100 prom dresses donated so youngsters can go to ball

Lee Nicholson set up Uniform Boutique to help pupils in Sunderland and Washington

Children whose parents may be struggling with rising costs shall go to the ball, after a businessman donated 130 prom dresses and suits.

Lee Nicholson, who runs a community hub in Concord, Washington, was shocked to receive the garments from John Helm after a social media appeal.

He will offer the clothes - which include trousers, shirts, tuxedos and dresses - to children across Wearside for free.

Mr Nicholson said there was a "massive need in the area" for second-hand school wear because of rising bills and the cost-of-living crisis.

The initiative is being run in the Building Blocks Day Centre, which he set up in 2019 as a place offering support for parents after his son, Nate, underwent 14 surgeries on his heart.

The former interior fitter said he felt there was "little" support for families whose children had returned from surgery, but said the hub had since "spiralled" into other services.

They include counselling, bereavement support and a shop called Uniform Boutique, which offers second-hand school uniforms in return for a small donation.

Nate, now seven, has undergone 14 different surgeries

After hearing about the campaign, Mr Helm who runs a property and garden clearance business in Sunderland, donated about 100 dresses and 30 suits.

"We were flapping with where we would put them. It was unbelievable," said Mr Nicholson.

He started the campaign after he became aware children were "missing out" on going to their prom because they did not have an outfit.

Prom outfits can often cost hundreds of pounds, adding to pressures faced by some families.

"The cost of living has spiralled and (there is) a massive need in our area."

The prom dress workshops will be held inside the Building Blocks Day Centre

A series of "open days" will be held to help youngsters select their outfit ahead of their end-of-year prom.

"We have all the dresses on rails and people can come in and choose them, pick a dress and try them on," he added.

"It’s not just for Washington, a few schools have drives (for prom outfits) but it’s only for their school, we want to open this up to anyone within the area."