November 15, 2020 - 1801 views
A local woman with a passion for ensuring that all young people can be the belle or boy of the ball regardless of income, has cleverly responded to the impact of Coronavirus by opening up a fundraising shop on Mostyn Street in Llandudno.
Ally Elouise, from Llandudno runs Prom Ally, which supplies ball gowns and suits for free to young people whose families do not have the money to enjoy the splendour of the end of school prom.
Due to situation that local schools found themselves in, Ally decided to open up her shop in the meantime to make sure that she could carry on her good work whilst times return back to normal.
The beginnings of her story began back in 2015 when she watched a documentary about poverty in the UK featuring a young girl who was struggling to attend her end of year school prom.
Ally was so moved she used her own 21st birthday money to buy prom dresses from charity shops to loan. She then built a website and began loaning free of charge prom dresses to young people who would not otherwise have been able to attend their school prom.
Today Ally writes for Bayside about her experience of the lockdown and her hopes for the future.
Prom Ally was going from strength to strength, I had managed to get my storage unit in Colwyn Bay next door to Bayside Radio all painted and set up, it was full to the brim with stock ready to help as many people as possible. It was going to be my busiest year yet!
In January I received a British Citizen Award in Westminster Palace, lots of media and press followed, which resulted in Prom Ally already having lots of referrals from schools and social services.
By February lots of teens all over the UK were getting ready to start browsing online and choosing their dresses for prom when suddenly in March everyone’s fear came true. Boris’s voice on the Breaking News headlines echoed around my house…The UK will be facing a National Lockdown. Instantly, everything changed.
As you know, the months that followed were unprecedented and strange. As a Nation we stayed at home, we worked from home, we worried for our Grandparents, we mourned our cancelled events and holidays, we missed our friends, we panic bought, we were sad, we were scared, we were stressed but then as things worsened we came together.
We were inspired, we volunteered, we learnt new skills, we watched Captain Tom, we fundraised, we donated, we helped the most vulnerable and we showed that we would stick together through the pandemic.
In terms of Prom Ally, schools closed down, the proms were cancelled, no one needed posh dresses and gowns. The stock was standing stagnant. I decided to focus my time on something else while I wasn’t volunteering for Prom Ally or working at the school. I finally opened my sewing machine which I received for Christmas, I watched some YouTube tutorials and taught myself to sew facemasks.
By this point, the NHS was overwhelmed, there was a huge shortage of PPE. Crafters far and wide were dusting off their old machines and sewing masks, uniform bags and scrubs out of scraps of material. Prom Ally received a grant off Gwynt Y Mor Windfarms to help with the costs of material and equipment and I spent the next few months at home in my bedroom sewing.
I sewed day and night and I donated all of my masks to the NHS, to schools, nursing homes, St Johns Ambulance, volunteer groups such as CVSC and also to individuals around the country. I felt like I needed to sew, I didn’t work in a hospital, I didn’t work as a paramedic, I didn’t have the ability to deliver food parcels or go out and help as my Dad was shielding… I was inspired by everyone doing their part during the pandemic and all I knew was that I needed to help and sewing was the only way that I could.
When things started looking up, the lockdown begun to ease, pubs and restaurants reopened, shops and café’s reopened, the economy had taken a massive hit but throughout the summer things started getting better. With the help of Mostyn Estates, I was lucky enough to be able to open a pop-up shop on Mostyn Street at the beginning of Summer.
This would be an opportunity to sell some old or unsuitable stock in order to make up for all of the money lost through lockdown. Our annual fundraising events are a lifeline for Prom Ally each year, raising enough to keep it open and accessible to all… due to Covid-19 they had all been cancelled this year.
The shop launch was incredible, the tourists were back in Llandudno and they had lots of money in their pockets. We raised enough to make up for our lost income over summer and we’re still open now. Having a high street presence has been an enormous help to us, more people know who we are and what we do!
I’ve also been able to launch an online hire site called the Eco Wardrobe in the last fortnight. This will be open to everyone around the UK and will be a sustainable alternative to buying new dresses or gowns for formal events.
The money made through hiring these dresses out will be put back into Prom Ally ensuring that we can keep helping teens and their families in financial hardship for years to come. You can learn more about the Eco Wardrobe by following us on social media or visiting the website www.ecowardrobe.co.uk
If you’d like to know any more about Prom Ally CIC or our mission make sure to visit www.promally.co.uk or follow us on social media!
