'My twin died before prom, now we're helping others go'

Sophie and Lucy bought their prom dresses together but Lucy never got to wear hers

The family of a teenager who died before attending her prom has donated 70 dresses to help students who otherwise could not afford to go.

Broadoak Academy in Weston-Super-Mare has set up a prom shop and been overwhelmed with donations, including from the Lucy Ellis Foundation.

Lucy, 16, contracted sepsis and died in 2018, the day before her first exam.

Her sister, Sophie, said Lucy could never show people how “beautiful she was” in the dress they bought together.

After her death, Lucy’s family, from Newport, set up the charity in her memory to raise awareness of sepsis, and help underprivileged children and teenagers.

Lucy died before she could attend prom, after contracting sepsis

When the family heard about the shop at Broadoak Academy they wanted to help out.

“Lucy didn’t get to go to prom, wear her dress and show everyone how beautiful she was,” her twin sister Sophie said.

“So we thought we want to make sure everyone else gets the chance to go, and have the opportunity Lucy never had.”

The prom shop has hundreds of dresses, suits, shoes, bags and accessories. Students can book an appointment to try them on, and rent an outfit for the night. Timpson’s has also agreed to cover the cost of dry cleaning this year.

The prom shop has a range of suits and dresses to borrow

There have been more than 200 prom dresses donated

Seeing it for the first time Sophie said it was “absolutely amazing” and “like you’re walking into an actual prom shop”.

The idea came about after Broadoak Academy staff members Bella Charman and Chloe Garty wanted to help.

“We’ve overheard students saying it’s pointless even asking about going to prom – it’d be a no go, my parents can’t afford it,” said Ms Charman.

“That’s when we thought we’d team together and make it an affordable and sustainable thing for our students, so they can all go to prom.”

Ms Chapman wants prom to be affordable to every student

Commenting on the number of donations from the community they said it was “heartening”.

“It’s more than just dresses, suits and accessories; it’s about creating lasting memories for our students for many years to come,” Ms Garty added.

More on this topic:

Research by the Child Poverty Action Group has found some teenagers are being priced out of school celebrations – like prom – due to the rising cost of living.

Around 40% of students at Broadoak Academy receive free school meals, compared to the national average of 23%.

Year 11 students are excited about the prom shop

Year 11 student Beau said he loved the range on offer: “It’s great for students who can’t afford to get (outfits) from a shop – you can come here and try them on in the comfort of school.”

“You can book an appointment quietly so if you’re worried about your financial situation or being judged you can have a private space and don’t need to worry,” Amelia said.

Pupil Meredith also thought the fact it helped with sustainability was really important.

“Fast fashion is a really big problem – with climate change. It’s really bad so being able to recycle and reuse is great,” she said.

Commenting on what Lucy would make of the shop, Sophie said she would have loved it, and would be “trying all the outfits on”.

“As well as helping students, it’s also helping Lucy’s legacy continue and to spread the message about sepsis and the signs to look out for,” she added.

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