Sixth form student from Downham Market organises prom for cohort of students who missed out in lockdown

A sixth form student from Downham Market has organised a prom night for her fellow students with help from the local community.

Katie Hickin, from Watlington, decided that she would step up and organise a night to remember after leaving secondary school in 2020 without a prom.

Katie said: "We never got a Year 11 prom because of Covid,

"A prom this year never got cleared because A levels got in the way and we ran out of time, so I decided to organise it myself,"

Katie planned the entire evening herself, from selling tickets to decorating the hall for students from Athena Sixth Form College in Downham.

The event was held at Wimbotsham and Stow Village Hall where students arrived in formal attire and luxurious cars.

Thirty students finally got the celebration they deserve after getting their A level results just a couple of weeks ago.

After a family friend posted on Facebook about Katie's idea, an outpour of people offering to help came back from the local community.

Donations were made by Morrisons and Tesco in Downham Market, with leftovers from the prom being donated to a food bank.

DJ Jules played music throughout the night free of charge and JR lighting and sound also gave discount to ceiling lights and a '22' sign.

"It was amazing, we had such a good night, the community really came together for us," added Katie.

"A lot of people are going to uni so we couldn't spend a lot,

"As the organiser, I’m really keen to say thank you to the people that have helped us and to also show how generous people have been."