Hats on for Royal Ascot 2021 as US milliner Jenny Roberts creates beautiful floral tribute for Brain Tumour Research
Hats on for Royal Ascot 2021 as US milliner Jenny Roberts creates beautiful floral tribute for Brain Tumour Research
As she prepares for next week’s Ascot Ladies’ Day, Jenny Roberts makes a flower headpiece to help raise money for brain tumour charity’s Wear A Hat Day this Friday. Stephanie Smith reports.
Award-winning Harrogate milliner Jenny Roberts is making hats at a romping speed after being inundated with requests for her creations to wear at Royal Ascot Ladies’ Day next week.
It follows a challenging 15 months for the UK millinery business as the pandemic has seen weddings, race meetings and special events cancelled or put on hold across the UK.
“It’s gone nuts with last minute clients going to Ascot,” Jenny said. “They were so late with tickets that everyone is trying to get organised.”
Jenny is now seeing clients non-stop at her hat shop at Cold Bath Place in Harrogate, where she keeps many styles of headpiece to try, buy, hire or use for inspiration for a bespoke creation.
She and fellow Harrogate milliner Justine Bradley Hill have recently been accepted into the British Hat Guild, the prestigious millinery organisation headed by Stephen Jones. “We are two of only 20 milliners who have joined the guild this year. We are the only northern milliners, from what I can see, and it’s a bit of an honour to have been included – I’m thrilled,” Jenny said.
Jenny is also a member of the British Millinery Guild, which is urging everyone to make and/or wear a hat decorated with fresh flowers on Friday to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.
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“My hat is made on a handmade wire frame with white peonies from my garden, vined onto the frame to form the show-stopping piece.”
Last year, the inaugural Wear A Hat Day with Flowers raised more than £40,000 to support research into brain cancer and tumours. Supporters are being asked to set up a JustGiving page, with a fundraising target of £274, and then perhaps make a hat or have an event and spread the word on social media. Details can be found at braintumourresearch.org.
Meanwhile, Royal Ascot Ladies’ Day takes place next Thursday, June 17, as part of five days of racing running from Tuesday to Saturday next week at the celebrated event that attracts many of the world’s finest horses to compete for more than £8m in prize money.
This year’s Royal Ascot will form part of the second phase of the Government’s Events Research Programme, with a capacity of 12,000 guests on each of the five days.
Royal Ascot is also synonymous with sartorial elegance, exquisite fashion and magnificent millinery creations. Jenny Roberts has created several headpieces for this year’s event and has high hopes that they will turn heads and maybe take the crown on Ladies’ Day.
