York mum marks Party Dress Day to raise money and banish January blues

A York mum-of-two has raised almost £10,000 for a bereavement charity by encouraging others to wear a party dress to beat the January blues.

Alex Lloyd started the annual Party Dress Day during the pandemic, after feeling fed up with staying inside.

She said the event had "snowballed" since then, with people countrywide getting dressed in their best while raising money for The Good Grief Trust.

Ms Lloyd said she wanted to "bring joy to January" while helping a good cause.

Speaking to BBC Radio York about the launch of Party Dress Day in February 2021, she said: "It was really gloomy, we were all in jumpers and jeans, so fed up with the pandemic.

"I was a bit sick of it, so I thought I would put on a dress on Saturday night.

"I shared a picture and my friends were like 'I miss my dresses'. So a week later, we did our first Party Dress Day raising money for The Good Grief Trust and it snowballed from there."

Ms Lloyd said there was a "science" behind dressing to impress.

"It's called 'dopamine dressing'," she said.

"For example, when you go to work in a certain type of job and put a uniform on, it gets you in the mindset."

Groups in York got behind the event on Friday, putting on sparkles to exercise in and go to work.

York Pilates People showed off their skirts, dresses and ties in a workout session, while a parent group asked its members to show up to brunch in party outfits.

A mum-of-two with terminal cancer joined in with the event, wearing a party frock to her chemotherapy treatment on Friday morning.

Speaking to the BBC from her hospital chair, Anita Howell, 49, from Brighton, said she had heard about the event on social media and it was important to her to highlight the important work of The Good Grief Trust.

She said: "I have stage four breast cancer so, sadly, my family will need to use bereavement services eventually.

"I have always loved dressing up. When I'm feeling rubbish, putting on makeup and a dress makes me feel so much better.

"I came to chemotherapy treatment this morning and wore a dress. I got lots of compliments but they're used to me dressing smartly when I come in."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].