A 19-year-old student has launched a project to ensure little girls in less fortunate positions 'don't miss out on prom'.
Megan Kay, from St Helens, launched her venture after a personal post where she offered to give away her old prom dress for free gained a lot of attention from people across the region.
Aware of the current climate, Megan, who works part time at Home Bargains while studying Health and Social Wellbeing at Edge Hill University, wanted to release some of the pressure off parents who may have struggled over the pandemic.
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In a bid to remove a financial burden some parents are hit with during their children's educational life, Megan decided to give away her year 11 prom dress which was sitting in her wardrobe.
She told the ECHO : “I grew up in St Helens watching people around me struggling for basic necessities and over covid that’s, of course, got worse with people losing jobs, etc.
“My dress was just sitting in my wardrobe and I realised that I could help one family out by taking away some financial stress that prom season brings. I just wanted to make one young girl happy.”
After posting about the dress on Facebook on Friday, January 28 afternoon, Megan said she was shocked at how many people showed an interest, prompting her to want to do more.
The 19-year-old added: “Once I shared the first post on Facebook of my prom dress it reached so many people and it made me realise that if I could possibly get people to donate their dresses to me that I could make a difference to a number of families and young girls.“
Later that very evening Megan launched Lasting Dresses, a Facebook and Instagram business where she advertises preloved prom dresses looking for a new owner, free of charge.
Launching the page, Megan wrote: "So I have decided to make a page for loved and used prom dresses. I’d love and want to make a difference to a young girl's life, even if it’s just a tiny thing and to take stress off families.
"This page is going to be a place where people can message and donate prom dresses so that young girls can have their pick.
"I know that once prom has been and gone sometimes us girls don’t know what to do with their dresses, so why not put them to good use."
Since the launch of the social media pages, Megan said she has been inundated with messages of support and has already received 27 dress donations to the page.
She added: “The response has been unbelievable. I didn't do it for the response, I just did it to make a difference, but the kind messages really make me realise that what I’m doing is a good thing and I’m happy I can do it
Hoping to turn her small venture into a bigger and sustainable project, Megan said she wants to carry Lasting Dresses on for ‘as long as she can’.
She said: “I'm hoping that I can carry this on for as long as I can I hope that once it grows I can go into schools to make them aware of the page and let young girls who are less fortunate to have their pick - I have already been in contact with one school.
"I just believe that I’m a very lucky person and not everyone is in my position so I believe that if I’m in this position then I should use my power to make as much difference as I can."
To visit Megan's Lasting Dresses page, click here.
