School prom dress plan for creative pupils in Staffordshire

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School pupils in a Staffordshire high school have a budget busting plan up their sleeve to help beat the rising cost of attending their end of year school prom. Pupils at Maryhill High School studying product design are hoping to win funding in order to make their own prom dresses by recycling second hand clothes, showcasing their final prom dress designs in a full-blown catwalk show.

The cost of attending the school prom is a much-debated subject, with the final bill often running into hundreds of pounds once the price of the prom ticket, dress or suit, hair and make-up and limo hire all adding to the overall expense of the school prom experience.

One group of GCSE students are hoping to save on the expense of the all-important prom dress by scouring local charity shops to find second hand dresses and then use their creative skills to turn these old articles of clothing into unique stunning prom gowns, the local Staffordshire newspaper reports. The students have even contacted TV stylist, Gok Wan, to make him aware of their project and to ask for his top tips on creating winning designs out of second hand pieces.

The pupils have applied for funding from Class Act, a competition run by The Sentinel and sponsored by Barclays Money Skills, as the teenagers hope to win the £5,000 prize which they will use to buy sewing machines to create their designs, also to buy their materials and second hand clothes which they plan to revamp, and also for lighting and cameras for use in the final catwalk show.

Do you think the prom dress recycling project is a good idea? Would you consider creating your own prom dress using second hand items? Let us know your thoughts on prom dress recycling by posting your comments below.

Teen banned from prom for posting invite on school wall

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A teenage boy from Connecticut has been banned from attending his school prom after he posted a giant invite on the walls of the school asking a girl to be his date.

James Tate scaled the school wall and attached 12 inch cardboard letters to spell out the message, “Sonali Rodrigues, will you go to the prom with me HMV (hit me up) – Tate.”

Although Sonali was bowled over by the romantic gesture when she arrived at school the next day to see the message, the teachers at Shelton High School saw the act very differently and took action to ban the teen from attending the prom.

The head teacher at the Connecticut High School branded the act a safety risk, and took action to punish the teen for attempting this dangerous act by not allowing him to attend the prom for which he’d just secured a date.

School pupil James Tate roped in a couple of friends to help him post the message on the school wall, with one helping to hold the ladder, while another fixed the double sided tape on the letters, while James attached the message to the wall. The high school student said he was careful to not put himself or his friends in danger while posting the message, saying he even wore a protective helmet in case of any accidents.

Despite his pleas, the high school is standing firm and refusing to let James Tate, and his accomplices, attend the senior prom.

The protests have already started, with a Facebook group calling for the ban to be lifted on James attendance at the prom attracting 5,000 likes.

Teens warned against using sun beds ahead of the school prom season

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Teenage girls are being strongly advised against heading to the sun bed ahead of their school prom because of the links between UV exposure and skin cancer.

Following the Sun beds regulation Act 2010, it’s now illegal from under 18’s to use a sun bed. However some tanning salons have reported receiving request from the mother’s of teenagers who have pleaded to let their sons, and daughters in particular, use the sun bed.

An upcoming school prom is one of the most popular reasons youngsters are turning to sun beds, with many wanting to achieve glowing sun kissed skin for the big night. Others use the sun bed to help alleviate the symptoms of acne before prom night as some believe the UV light helps dry the oil which causes the spots in skin.

Medical experts believe the risk of skin cancer in young people is increased considerably with the use of sun beds with statistics showing that more than 2 under 35 year olds are diagnosed with skin cancer every day.

However some sun bed advisers believe sun bed use is fine in moderation and recommend youngsters get advice on their skin type before using a sun bed.

If you’re preparing for your school prom or school leavers ball, you’d be well advised to hit the fake tan as opposed to the sun bed to ensure you stay safe and look great for prom night.

Glee popularises the school prom in the UK

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It has been claimed this week that hit TV shows such Glee are responsible for popularising the growing trend for school proms, with one hotel chain in the UK reporting a 500% increase in bookings for school proms over the last year alone.

The trend for glitzy end of year school proms events has been growing steadily over the course of the last few years, however with TV programmes such as the US show Glee, and High School the Musical promoting the glamorous world of school proms on TV screens, youngsters in the UK are more determined than ever to have big prom experience.

A survey by the hotel chain, Holiday inn, found that on average each teen attending a school prom will spend £244, while 1 in 10 prom goers will spend £500 and 2% will spend over £1,500.

As well as the all-important prom dress, accessories, and suit hire, parents are also having to fork out for luxury transport to the event, often in the form of a chauffeur driven limo, or in some cases a helicopter. Limo Hire companies are reporting record bookings for prom dates throughout the UK, with some of the most popular prom dates booking out 6 months in advance.

Another expense for prom-goers is the cost of make-up artists and hairdressers with many groups of girls choosing to have costly pamper parties before heading out for their school prom.

Following the results of their recent survey, Holiday Inn has created a prom package to help ease the financial burden for parents of prom kids. For just £18 a head, Holiday Inn are offering a stylish prom party on a budget with venue hire at any of their hotels across the country, a glass of bubbly on arrival, DJ entertainment and also a finger buffet.

Prom dress collection launched by Jessica Simpson in the US

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Singer turned actress Jessica Simpson has unveiled her own signature line in prom dresses in America, just in time for the peak school prom season.

The collection of prom gowns have been designed especially for the popular occasion wear retailer, David’s Bridal. The 30-year-old performer says her collection has been inspired by the designer gowns she’s worn to red carpet events herself.

As well as having a carved out a successful career as a singer and actress, Jessica Simpson has also established a successful business venture with her own clothing and accessories line which is estimated to be worth $1 billion.

So when it comes to fashion, Jessica knows a thing or two. The newly engaged star says her line of prom dresses has been designed to fit and flatter a variety of body shapes helping prom-goers achieve red carpet style for their special prom date.

The dresses from the exclusive prom collection are available in a variety of colours including some vibrant shades such as turquoise and royal blue to ensure the girls stand out from the crowd. The prom gowns are available in a variety of styles including full length ball gowns, to cute short numbers, halter necks and strapless dresses so there’s something to suit every taste. The dresses range in price from $139 – $229.

Taylor Swift’s ultimate school prom guest list revealed

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Country pop singer Taylor Swift has revealed the people she’d invite to her ultimate school prom.

With prom season fast approaching, school-leavers up and down the country are turning their thoughts to prom dresses and limo hire for the big event. Although the 21-year-old singer’s school prom may be behind her, that didn’t stop Taylor Swift airing her opinion on the best prom guests during a recent interview.

At the top of the award-winning singer’s list of friends to invite to her ultimate school prom was the newly married Katy Perry as   Taylor says she’s “crazy fun” and will certainly liven up the night.

Joining her on the dance floor at Taylor’s fantasy prom would be Sheryl Crow and also Jennifer Lopez to entertain the other guests with her moves. Pop singer Justin Timberlake and also the ultra cool P Diddy would also make it onto the guest list for Taylor Swift’s school prom as they are both very “nice” according to the pop starlet.

If you’re busy preparing for your school prom, do you agree with Taylor Swift’s line-up of prom guests? Or would you make a few changes?

For those of you whose school prom is fast approaching, now is the time to make the most of the special offers available on chauffeur driven prom cars at Limo Broker. The UK based luxury transport provider is offering discounted rates on school prom limo hire so get in touch today to bag yourself a bargain.

Bradford limousine hire company comes to the rescue of prom girls

A group of year 11 school girls from Bradford almost had their prom night ruined after the limousine they had booked for their big occasion failed to show.

After the father of one of the prom-goers called the company to ask what had happened to the chauffeur driven limo, he was told that the vehicle had broken down and wouldn’t be able to take the girls to the prom as arranged. No replacement limo was offered.

Desperate for a ride to the prom, the girls flagged down a passing limo and asked if they could help them out. The chauffeur agreed to shuffle his jobs around in order to save the day for the young prom goers.

Bradford based limousine hire company, Oasis Limos, explained that they had three different limos in the area that night to cope with the demand due to the school prom. The firm was able to re-arrange its three limousines to pick up the group of girls and take them on a 20 minute spin before dropping them off at the prom at Knaresborough Cricket Club.

The company which failed to provide the booked limo refused later in the week to return the girl’s deposit as they had told to the press about the incident.

It’s been reported that the first limo company also let down a number of other prom-goers on the same night by failing to provide the luxury transportation they had booked for their special occasion. The operator says it apologises to its customers for the inconvenience, but that the situation was unavoidable as the limousine which had been booked for the prom jobs had been involved in an accident prior to the prom date.

8 limos en route to school prom in Derbyshire fail spot checks

Officials in the UK are carrying out roadside checks on limos during the school prom season

A total of eight limousines travelling to a school prom in Derbyshire last week failed the spot checks which were carried out in conjunction with the local council and the Vehicle Operator Standards Agency (VOSA).

The South Derbyshire council also targeted another school prom in the local area just two weeks previously in a bid to crack down on unsafe limos travelling to proms, and potentially putting young prom-goers at risk.

A number of vehicle problems were uncovered by the investigation. Issues with a lack of power steering and seat belts, and also problems relating to tyres were discovered by the officials carrying out the checks.

The eight prom limos which failed the spot checks have been handed prohibition notices which ban them from operating until they can prove that the issues which were uncovered have been resolved and that the limousine is now roadworthy.

With the school prom season starting to get underway, limo operators are being warned to expect these kinds of spot checks up and down the country as officials strive to stamp out illegal limo providers throughout the UK.

Limo repossessed on prom night

Limousine was driven away by repossession man on prom night

A limousine which had been hired for a school prom date in Oklahoma, USA, was driven away by a bailiff as the prom-goers were dropped off at the event on Friday night.

A concerned relative who witnessed the man from the repossession company getting into the driver’s seat of the limo and driving away, called the police as they believed the limousine was being carjacked.

The group of school friends hired the limo for their school prom which was held in a suburb of Tulsa. The chauffeur was stood with the bunch of prom-goers as they were parked outside of the Oklahoma Aquarium where the event was being held when the man from the repossession company got behind the wheel, and sped off in the limo.

Galaxy Limos who provided the limo hire put the incident down to a case of miscommunication between the bank and the lending company. The limo hire boss claims the financial issue had been cleared up with the bank, but they had failed to pass the message onto the repossession company.

The prom group have been offered a partial refund or a free limo ride to make amends for the incident.

School prom limo chauffeurs to be faced with rigorous checks

Licensing officers in the South Staffordshire area plan to attend each prom being held in the district over the summer in order to access that every chauffeur is properly licensed to be carrying prom-goers.

The move comes after a number of complaints were made last year in regards to unlicensed limo hire firms transporting youngsters to schools proms. Concerns were raised about the safety of the school pupils who could end up being transported in an unlicensed limo with a chauffeur who has not been properly checked by authorities.

South Staffordshire council have written to every secondary school in the area to find out where each prom is being held. They plan to send three licensing officers to each venue on prom night to run checks on limos and chauffeurs as they drop off the youngsters at the party.

The chauffeurs must prove that they and the vehicle are correctly licensed with either the council or the Department of Transport. They will also be checking that the limos are carrying the correct number of passengers and that there is no over-loading taking place. From last year only limos which have a COIF certificate are legally allowed to carry over 8 passengers.

The council is also asking for parents to be vigilant and to check their chosen limo firm is correctly licensed before making a school prom booking.