People in Appleby are showing their support for Helen Skelton with the help of posters which are taking centre stage in shop windows and homes.
Jenny Gibbons, owner of The Cupboard Under The Stairs, came up with the idea of creating the posters after chatting with her husband about how they could show their support for the star.
She said: “My partner and I were talking about Helen and her being on Strictly, and he’s said to me why don’t you put a poster up outside to support her and I said that’s a really good idea, but why don’t we do it as a town?
“I went to the people at the tourist information centre and Appleby Town Council and they said it was a brilliant idea and to go for it. So I spoke to Lucy, a graphic designer from Appleby Business Services next door who designed them for me and I made copies and distributed them around town.”
Jenny said she had printed off about 50 posters and that she was really pleased to see the town rallying in support of Helen.
She said: “It’s been really good because I’ve been popping into the shops and having a chat with people and they quite often have little stories about her including that she used to be a Saturday girl at the bakery, the different people that she worked for and about what a nice lass she is. It’s great, everyone has a connection to her, it’s just been really lovely.”
Jenny said to her surprise, even her partner knew Helen’s family, who still live in the town and own a dairy farm there.
She added: “I’m not from Appleby myself, I’m from Lancashire and my partner has been here for four years through work, so its been lovely for me just to get into village life.”
As a former ballroom dancer herself, Jenny said she had been enjoying this year’s show so far and that she felt Helen was doing really well.
