Wigan site worker dons a dress to raise charity funds

A construction worker dressed to impress by combining his hard hat and hi-vis jacket with stylish women’s outfits for charity.
Darren in his fetching outfit on siteDarren in his fetching outfit on site
Darren in his fetching outfit on site

Darren Brown, from Lowton, decided to don a dress to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and had so much backing he turned it into a week-long event.

Darren, 34, admits he does not quite know why he first came up with the quirky idea but it certainly proved a hit with friends on social media and his colleagues at Matthews and Leigh.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pictures and video footage of him grafting away in his role as a ground worker wearing leopard-print or floral numbers racked up plenty of comments and encouragement on the internet and also raised more than £1,000.

Darren is delighted with the success of it as Macmillan is very close to his heart due to the care it provided for his dad Mack Brown before his death in 2016.

Darren, of Crankwood Road, said: “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I just said I would wear a dress for work for a week, I don’t really know why.

“I had this leopard-print number but then it just got bigger and bigger.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Everybody started donating different dresses and nail varnish so I started wearing a different one every day.

“The support has just been overwhelming. The lads at work are loving it, all the bricklayers and joiners and everyone have been donating.

“Cars passing by the building site are slowing down to look and people are laughing, it’s all good fun.

“The first day felt very strange and my brothers and sister thought I was mad at first for doing it but now they absolutely love it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Macmillan did a lot for my dad, it really inspired me to do this.

“I was coming back from a day at the building site when he had been at home and they had popped round to his house, spent time with him and he had a smile on his face when I got back.

“They were amazing and it’s all done through donations, coffee mornings and other events.”

Darren’s challenge came to an end on Saturday, with his final outfit being chosen by Facebook users asked to choose which dress they would like to see him put on again.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It is Darren’s first charity fund-raiser but he says he is definitely thinking about doing more to raise money for good causes. The money is being collected through sponsorship forms and online donations on Facebook.