TEENAGE girls got dressed up for a special "prom" event at Fairfield Hospital’s in-patient mental health unit.

Youngsters on the hospital’s Horizon Unit were given hair and make-up sessions with professional beauticians.

The prom also featured a DJ, pamper packs and refreshments, while dresses were donated by a local business.

The event, which was organised by teaching staff and young people on the unit, was aimed at giving female patients an experience that other girls their age normally enjoy at this time of year.

It was held at the Woodland Retreat, a state-of-the-art treehouse at Fairfield Hospital where young people can relax.

One of the girls said: “It’s been brilliant. We made a lot of the decorations ourselves and helped with the planning.

“It’s a really good idea to do it and we’ve all helped out planning it for a couple of months.

“When we tried our dresses on. the teachers cried because they were so happy for us.”

Sue Jarvis, head of education at Pennine House School, where young people on the unit are educated, said the prom had been a great success.

She said: “It was a fabulous event and all the girls looked absolutely stunning in their dresses, they all helped beforehand to plan out the colour scheme, the music and food and made posters to promote it.

“We would like to thank all the local businesses who gave their time and donated gifts to make this such a special day for the girls.”