Surrey resident Nikki Taylor-Hopper has spent the last 52 Fridays in fancy dress to raise money for charity after her father passed away following a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
Nikki was inspired to take on the challenge and wanted to do something attention-grabbing to raise awareness while also raising money. She decided to set up Fancy Dress Friday; wearing a different costume at the end of each week to teach people about pancreatic cancer and raise money in the process.
Nikki accessorised every costume with a sign explaining what she was doing with a link to her Facebook and fundraising pages and ended up raising more than £4,000 for charity.
Nikki’s efforts captured attention wherever she went – including on a holiday to Spain where she surprised her friends by running down the beach dressed as Pamela Anderson. “It didn’t stop,” she said. “If we were on holiday, we were on holiday!”
The costumes – a mix of homemade and bought – would often be planned up to six weeks in advance, as finding specific items and accessories could be tough. “Nobody knew what I was going to be wearing,” she explains. “Every Friday, people would be looking on my Facebook or Instagram feeds to find out!”
The outfits – which have now been auctioned off for charity – often coincided with a special occasion – for example, a celebrity’s birthday or seasonal event. Favourite dress-up options included Charlie Chaplin, Donald Trump and The Joker.
