Nottinghamshire seamstress steps in to aid devastated brides as wedding shop closes

A seamstress in Nottinghamshire has stepped in to save several brides' big days after their wedding plans were left in tatters by the sudden closure of a bridal shop.

La Belle Boutique in Sutton-in-Ashfield closed its doors on Sunday 21 July as an insolvency practitioner firm said it had been told to put the business into liquidation.

A 36-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and has been released on bail as Nottinghamshire Police continues to investigate the bridal shop.

Seamstress Pamela Frankham worked through the night to alter dresses for some of the stricken brides and said: "I tried to calm the brides and tried to marry them up with the list of wedding dresses that I'd got."

"I thought they'd been burgled because there was nothing in the shop at all.

"It was the right thing to do. I didn't do it because I wanted anything out of it.

"When you're getting married the dress is the biggest part of the day, it's just special. I've been doing alterations on and off for 46 years so I know what it means for the brides."

Pamela said she was "shocked" by the wave of grateful comments that flooded her business's Facebook page as she set about getting dresses to the desperate brides.

Ashfield MP Lee Anderson also met with one affected to couple to offer them £500 towards their honeymoon.

Hayley Cunningham and her husband-to-be where among those caught out by the sudden closure. They had decided to call off their wedding but decided to go through with it after they got hold of another dress.

Lee Anderson said: "It must be a big thing for a bride to go and buy that dress, book the wedding and then the rug's been dragged from underneath them."

La Belle Boutique will be formally placed into liquidation next week.