Yorkshire milliners lead the field in the Royal Ascot Styled With Thanks challenge

There may be no Ladies' Day but virtual visitors to Royal Ascot are sending in selfies wearing their fabulous hats for charity. Stephanie Smith reports.

Royal Ascot is taking place behind closed gates this year with no roaring crowds or ladies’ day parades, but the style stakes remain high as brilliant hats are celebrated in a virtual event which invites social media guests to wear their favourite titfer and share online with the hashtags #StyledWithThanks and #RoyalAscot.

The Royal Ascot At Home event, which runs until Saturday alongside the crowd-less racing, is raising money for frontline charities including The National Emergencies Trust Relief Fund, NHS Charities Together and The Care Workers Charity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hat lovers who want to take part are encouraged to donate £5 to the campaign fundraising page, share their outfit selfie and nominate friends to do the same, helping to spread the Styled With Thanks message in recognition of those working on the frontline.

Hats can include ladies' opulent creations or a gentleman's top hat, panama or trilby or any other type of hat. Prizes will be given for the most Elegant, Original and Uplifting outfits across the week with a panel of fashion industry judges selecting the winners. Prizes include Royal Ascot 2021 tickets alongside a lunch for two at Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social with a bottle of Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage, an Afternoon Tea and Tiara Experience for two at the House of Garrard's flagship boutique in London, and a Longines timepiece.

Photos posted using the campaign hashtags will be turned into a giant rainbow mosaic image tribute which will become a permanent installation at Ascot Racecourse.

Harrogate milliner Jenny Roberts, who creates showstopping hats and headpieces every year for ladies’ days at Ascot as well as for all the Yorkshire racecourses, has seen a number of her creations take part so far entered by clients including Ripon racehorse owner Hazel Elliott . “Lots of our clients who would normally be attending have taken to celebrating in style at home,” Jenny said. “It's a great opportunity to get dressed up and enjoy the racing. It's a win win for everyone and a lovely opportunity to feel special for the day.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There is also a millinery auction taking place now in aid of the charities as Royal Ascot and the British Hat Guild join forces on a campaign spearheaded by milliner Stephen Jones OBE, inviting hat designers to create a bespoke hat or headpiece featuring a rainbow theme.

Harrogate milliner Jenny RobertsHarrogate milliner Jenny Roberts
Harrogate milliner Jenny Roberts

The final collection includes designs by Jane Taylor, Lock & Co, Lisa Tan and Ilkley milliner Justine Bradley-Hill, who has created a Liberty print silk covered beret with a suspended gold silk rose, inspired by the NHS Evelina children’s hospital in London where the original NHS rainbow was created.

Read More
Where to buy those must-have Mulberry face masks

The auction is at fundraising-auctions.bid/auction/ascot/styledwiththanks/winning

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Hazel Elliott wears another hat by Jenny Roberts for the #styledwiththanks challenge.Hazel Elliott wears another hat by Jenny Roberts for the #styledwiththanks challenge.
Hazel Elliott wears another hat by Jenny Roberts for the #styledwiththanks challenge.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.