A teenage globe trotter has won a gem of a prize.
Travel-mad Francesca Douglas won a competition organised by the Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham as part of a major fashion event.
Francesa bagged a voucher for goods worth £500 at luxury jewellery store Mococo in a competition in conjunction with the Leader newspaper.
The 17-year-old from Wrexham, who studies Travel and Tourism at Yale College, Wrexham, is “absolutely over the moon”.
The Fashion on the Move event saw Eagles Meadow shopping centre being transformed into a giant catwalk for a series of shows.
Top professional models from across the UK strutted their stuff as they showcased the very latest designer ranges for autumn and winter.
Francesca said: “I’ve never won anything like this before. It was a big surprise.
“It was the perfect prize for me because I’m a bit Mococo mad.”
Francesca found out that she’d won the competition after she was told to rush home by her Nan.
Francesca said: “When she told me I was dead happy all day.
Despite only being 17 Francesca has already travelled all over Europe and America but her favourite place so far is Egypt.
“I’ve always wanted to travel the world. I love having new experiences.
“I like to explore different cultures, and to meet different types of people.
“The best place I’ve been to so far is Egypt. I saw the Pyramids which were amazing. It’s one of the wonders of the world.
“I went diving in the red sea as well which was just out of this world. I also went on lots different excursions.
“I buy always buy Mococo jewellery to wear when I go on holiday.”
Mococo store manager Suzanne Bartley was delighted to have been part of Eagles Meadow’s Fashion on the Move competition.
Suzanne said: “She must be walking on air. It’s just such a lovely competition, and we’re just so proud to be providing that prize. I was wonderful; to see her face when she arrived. It just lit up the room.”
Mococo, started as a kitchen table enterprise for Flintshire couple Lee and Maureen Hooson and has grown into a network of sumptuous shops across North Wales and Cheshire.
From a humble start around the kitchen table of their home in Northop the Hoosons have rapidly developed Mococo over the past seven years to the point where it has become one of the most important players in the business.
Since Mococo was started with just £250 of Maureen’s savings in 2006 the couple have opened five high street shops in Ruthin, Mold, Chester and Liverpool and the Eagles Meadow branch was another significant investment for them.
Maureen used her original £250 investment to buy a small range of gems which she sold to friends at jewellery parties and things grew from there.
With husband Lee masterminding the business side of things, Maureen concentrated on making her own jewellery and buying in prestige brands such as Pandora, Baccarat, and Thomas Sabo.
All of items, including rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces are attractively displayed in the new Wrexham store.
