Wave a wand so that Sarah is nominated

Sarah Ogden has launched "Cinderella's" which offers prom dresses for free..

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

MOORSIDE mum Sarah Ogden spent the summer being a fairy godmother, granting gorgeous dress wishes so girls could go to their end of school ball.

Now its others' turn to wave their magic wand for Sarah by nominating her for a Pride in Oldham award.

Wanting to help those who would otherwise miss out on their school prom, mum of two Sarah decided to launch Cinderella's, offering teens a dress, shoes, tiaras and accessories free of charge.

She collected 70 dresses from friends and others who donated an array of stunning showstoppers to the cause.

At the time she told the Chronicle: "People have donated some fantastic dresses originally costing hundreds of pounds which they have worn once and won't wear again.

"The cost of buying dresses these days can be up to £600 and the thought of it puts a lot of girls off going to their prom. There's a lot of peer pressure but it shouldn't be that way."

One of those putting Sarah forward for the accolade is husband Dave.

He said his wife's way of coping with a number of personal difficulties this year was to throw herself into helping others, including raising money for charities through organising dog shows, dog weddings, fancy dress events and coffee mornings.

But he says it was her hit prom dress idea which really endeared her to her fellow Oldhamers.

"Sarah appealed to friends on Facebook and the response was amazing," said Dave.

"She amassed a stunning collection of prom dresses, ball gowns, bridesmaid dresses, tiaras, bags and shoes. Sarah didn't think any girl should miss out, so she decided to set up Cinderella's so they could go to the ball. To ensure everyone was aware of Cinderella's Sarah toured schools in the borough highlighting the benefits that this project offered to students.

"The LEA and schools have been very welcoming and overjoyed with the service being provided. The generosity of the Oldham public, though, has taken us all by surprise, with Sarah at the helm trying to ensure that this important event in a child's life is not missed."

Sarah said she was overwhelmed to be nominated and vowed if she was shortlisted she would wear one of her dream dresses.

"It's fabulous to be nominated," said Sarah, a dog groomer by day.

"It's my birthday on the actual awards evening so if I'm shortlisted I'm going to wear one of the dresses. I've been dying to ever since I started collecting them."