Thoughtful pupils at Dumbarton’s Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School have launched a prom store, ensuring everyone can shine as they bid the school a final farewell.
Shocked by the high prices of clothes and jewellery, pupils were determined to make sure that their classmates would be able to enjoy prom – without worries over the spiralling cost of living.
The prom shop launched earlier this month will offer everything from suits and dresses to shoes and bags ahead of the big day in June.
Principal teacher Jennifer Sharkey explained: “In the last year we’ve been big on our environmental work.
“We started a uniform recycling bank which was inundated with donations from families, who handed in everything from blazers that were too small to shoes and winter jackets. It’s been really popular.
“The cost-of-living crisis means that a lot of people’s finances are really struggling just now.
“The idea for the prom shop came about after a chat with the senior pupils. They were venting some of their worries about going to prom.
“It’s obviously something that’s been in the calendar for years for some of the pupils. They really look forward to it.
“But the cost that comes along with that can be excessive.
“The pupils wanted to make it easier for people to attend, and then we could all benefit.
“We put up notices on social media, the kids have been told at assemblies and text messages have been sent home as well to publicise it.
“If people in the community have any dresses, suits, bags, jewellery. Anything that the kids could make use of to attend prom then we’d be more than happy to welcome those donations in.”
Jennifer said that the cost-of-living crisis is having a dramatic impact on the lives of pupils at the Bellsmyre school, with demand for warm clothing spiking over winter.
She continued: “The prom store is something that really fits in with the school ethos.
“The uniform recycling bank has been really popular.
“Initially people were maybe a bit too proud to take some of the items. But as things got more difficult more and more families were phoning the school to say they needed a jacket, but couldn’t afford one.
“We were then able to bag up and wash all the items before sending them home to the families.
“We’ve seen major issues at the school where people are really struggling. Christmas was a horrendous time for a lot of local families, and I know this could be the same.” As well as the prom shop and school uniform bank, Jennifer is also hoping that local beauty experts might be able to lend a hand prior to the big day.
She added: “We’d also love to have local hairdressers or make-up artists who would be able to come along in advance and give the students some tutorials on doing their own hair and makeup.
“It would be great to give them the skills if they weren’t able to afford the expense.
“Some time near Easter we’d like to get a few classrooms set up to be like dressing rooms.
“We’ll get all the pupils in to see if there’s anything they could pick up. It might not be a full outfit, it might just be a pair of shoes or a bag to complement what they’ve got. But we hope it could alleviate the stress and financial burden that comes with these things.”
Donations for the prom shop can be handed in at the school office.
