Best friends’ prom day saved after Hartlepool mum steps in to organise event herself

A determined mum made sure her daughter could celebrate her prom - with a bit of help from her boss.
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Like most school leavers, Maizey Daley, 16, and Morgan Batty, 15, had been looking forward to their prom.

But with schools struggling to hold events due to ongoing pandemic restrictions, mum Victoria Daley decided to step in.

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Victoria, 44, struggled to find a suitable venue for the big day before Lock Gates owner Ken Hedley offered to host the girls’ prom free of charge.

Maizey Daley, left, and Morgan Batty, right, with Ken Hedley at the prom.Maizey Daley, left, and Morgan Batty, right, with Ken Hedley at the prom.
Maizey Daley, left, and Morgan Batty, right, with Ken Hedley at the prom.

Victoria, who works as a kitchen assistant at the pub, has said she’s been “touched” by Ken’s generosity and has described the day as “lovely”.

She said: “It went really well. The girls absolutely loved it.

"It was worth it just to see them, they both looked absolutely beautiful.

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"They had really good time and they deserved it. They worked so hard for their GCSEs so it was a really nice treat to them.

Maizey (left) and Morgan (right) have been best friends since Nursery.Maizey (left) and Morgan (right) have been best friends since Nursery.
Maizey (left) and Morgan (right) have been best friends since Nursery.

“It was lovely.”

Victoria added: "They’ve been best friends since nursery.

"They did their Holy Communion together and now their prom together, so it was really special."

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Close friends and family were able to join the girls on the big day as Maizey and Morgan got to wear their prom dresses and take photos to remember the moment.

There were balloons and afternoon teas and Ken, 58, managed to attend as well.

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Mum Victoria has described how Ken stepped in when she had difficulties booking a venue.

She said: "I was really upset about that and I was talking about it at work in the kitchen to one of the girls and my boss heard me.

"He’s been really generous, he’s offered to host the prom for them.

"He’s really been so helpful.”

Victoria continued: "He literally only took over the business six months before Covid hit and he’s had a really, really hard time keeping the business open while obviously we’ve all been off.

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"He literally built it up and we were doing fantastic and then Covid hit.

"Honestly, he’s been so generous.”

The girls’ school, English Martyrs, has yet to respond to our request for comment.

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