Frock Up Friday: The festival that's all about dressing to impress

Video report by ITV News Meridian's Malcolm Shaw

A festival in Hastings inspired by a Facebook group encouraging people to get dressed up is underway this weekend.

Frock Up Friday started as a Facebook group to help people stay happy and healthy during lockdown. 

It encouraged everyone to put on their glad rags, even though they were stuck at home.

Bevali Francis said: "One of the things we said was we weren't going to spend all our time in our pyjamas. We wanted a day where we dress up. So it was us and 100 friends we asked at first."

The Facebook group soon had 14,000 members across the world, a celebration of hedonism helping to keep many people facing real challenges healthy and happy.

Group member Emma Claughton has been using it to help her through treatment during lockdown.She said: "I was having chemotherapy during lockdown and I was shielding because of Covid. So Frock Up Friday came up and it looked like so much fun.

"I was spending all week feeling really sick, not being able to walk up the stairs, so dressing up every Friday got me through it."

Among the posh frocks on display, two were worn by one of the biggest names in music, Paloma Faith.

They will be auctioned off at a fashion show to raise money for the mental health charity MIND.

The Frock Up Friday festival goes on all weekend with live music, a procession through the town and a grand ball, with everyone dressing to impress.