Fairy Godmother makes sure seven students will get to the ball

Te Puke High School ball Fairy Godmother Jennifer Locke.

A Fairy Godmother has waved her wand and helped seven students to get to this weekend's Te Puke High School ball.

A relative newcomer to Te Puke, Jennifer Locke brought with her the will to help students.

''We were living in Taranaki and I was helping out the Cinderella Ball,'' she says.

The trust behind Cinderella Ball in Hawera was helping 10 students get to the school ball, ensuring they had tickets, their hair and make-up was done and that they had a limo to get them to the venue.

''I was part of that for two years and loved it - it was amazing and it left a mark on my heart.

''Then we moved here and I just put up a post [on Facebook] and called it the Fairy Godmother project and said I wanted to do the same thing here.''

Tracey Fawcett, who runs Cinderella's Closet which also assists ball-goers, contacted Jennifer saying she knew of two girls needing hair and make-up, and Jennifer also contacted the school.

She has since managed to get sponsorship to buy ball tickets for four students and has been offered the netball court clubrooms to get the seven students ready.

''We are all meeting there and getting a bunch of pizzas and getting their hair and make-up done.

''The netball courts are a really cool venue because it's central, the kids can walk there, and then get ready and go off to their pre-ball with their friends.''

Jennifer says she first got involved in Taranaki because she wasn't working in a salon so was free on the day of the ball.

''I said I'd love to help out, went along and got to meet everyone. I was just so humbled and blown away. It's so emotional - the parents are there and a photographer - it was so special for them. And the girls look in the mirror and they go 'wow' and feel like Cinderella."

She says she is looking forward to Saturday and hopes it will become something she can organise every year.