'Fairy godmother' gifts 1,000 prom dresses to girls

A teacher has gained the reputation of being a fairy godmother – by gifting almost 1,000 free prom dresses worth up to £750 to teenage girls.

With the costs of school proms soaring, Stefanie Lakin from Solihull has a mission for every child to dazzle at the end-of-year event.

She set up the charity Madrina in 2022 and has given out almost 1,000 dresses so far. She also has free suits for the boys, with garments donated by local shops.

“Our motto is ‘the promise for all – everyone should go to the ball’,” Mrs Lakin told the BBC.

“Not everyone has the same financial situation and really what Madrina wants to do is make proms inclusive of everyone,” Mrs Lakin said.

Among those receiving dresses are two of Florence Okello’s daughters.

The single mother from Birmingham said: “I used to worry a lot about, how am I going to afford the total package?”

The 57-year-old said the combined cost of the outfit, hair, make up, nails and eyelashes could run into hundreds of pounds.

“When I heard about Madrina through the school, I was ecstatic,” she said.

The charity collaborates with schools, local charities and parents to identify families in need.

With the help of volunteers, Mrs Lakin has organised pop-up prom shops at about 80 schools.

She said when students try on the dresses you can see their “body language change” and an “outpouring of confidence”.

“I wish I could bottle the squeals of delight and joy,” she added.

The charity also provide shoes and bags which are donated from prom dress shops, manufacturers and members of the public.

Anna Louise Gowns in Solihull was one of the first stores to donate dresses to Madrina, gifting ones that retail from £250 up to £750.

Owner Rebecca Toftebjeig said when girls came into the shop to try on the prom dresses it was a special occasion.

“It upsets us to know that some girls can’t have that moment because of their financial situation,” she said.

“They’re entitled as well as anyone else to go to prom and look fabulous.”

With the spiralling costs associated with proms, schools have been keen to work with charities to take the pressure off parents who might be struggling financially.

Fred Stephenson who is head of Year 11 at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Kings Norton, Birmingham, said the charity had given many students “dignity”.

In the past, staff at the school sensed that some Year 11s were not attending prom because they could not afford it, he said.

Around 30 pupils had received dresses and suits, with teenagers getting the “proper boutique experience”, Mr Stephenson added.

Mrs Lakin hopes to continue to spread the word so she can help more students go to their proms.

“Role modelling kindness is a great message to young people, that someone out there is like a fairy godmother looking after them,” she said.