Community hub being sued over donated dresses
BBC/Jim ScottA community hub, which hires out donated dresses for school proms, is facing legal action after a seamstress claimed up to 100 of them could belong to her.
Lee Nicholson who runs the Building Blocks Day Centre (BBDC) in Concord, Washington, argued it would be unfair on other donors to hand over any goods without proof of ownership.
The woman alleges some of the items given to the BBDC by a businessman were wrongfully disposed of from her home in Norton, Stockton.
The solicitor representing the seamstress said Nicholson "has not tried to work with my client" and action was being taken due to his "intransigence".
Nicholson, who denies any wrongdoing, has since temporarily suspended the scheme, which largely sees used clothes handed out to struggling teenagers for a small fee.
Nicholson said the project was started "off the back of the pre-loved uniform scheme, we noticed there were kids not attending prom [because of] cost".
"We got a lot of donations, and we've helped a lot of people off the back of it, it was a brilliant scheme."
It began in 2024 with dozens of garments donated by families across the North East and a further 130 from businessman John Helm, who clears empty properties.
But in December 2025, Nicholson said he was approached by a woman, and a solicitor, who believed some of the garments were from a home belonging to her.
She said the home was repossessed by her landlord's mortgage provider without prior knowledge, and she was forced to leave the majority of her belongings, before they were eventually removed by Helm.
Legal action
Court papers filed have since claimed garments made, or owned, by the woman are identifiable in a video from inside the hub, promoting the launch of the scheme.
In the video, Helm said some of the dresses were removed from a home occupied by a seamstress - a statement he has since rescinded, after speaking to his staff.
The documents also claim Nicholson had not provided "any justification for his refusal" to allow entry to the hub, which he said is due to a lack of proof.
He said: "I felt the best way I could solve it was if she had even one photo of one dress we had, that would give me enough evidence that she can have a look.
"These people have staked a claim to some property they believe is theirs but anybody can do that."
Helm told the BBC the items from the woman's home were placed in a skip, upon instructions from the mortgage provider.
He said the garments donated to BBDC came from a shop in Fawcett Street, Sunderland, and from other clearances over the "10 years I've been in business".
Court documents state the seamstress's "primary objective" in taking legal action is to "secure the return of her goods" and it "remains her wish to ascertain which goods remain in the possession of the defendants".
“My client is a seamstress who used to live in Norton, Stockton on Tees until her property was repossessed due to her landlord's default”, the solicitor representing the seamstress said.
“Most of her worldly goods were disposed of by the mortgagee despite it being known that she had not abandoned them.
“Mr Nicholson has refused to allow my client to retrieve any items or even inspect them.”
He said further comments from Helm "completely contradicts what he said on the video about the origin of the clothes".
Nicholson added: "These dresses help our community, we've helped upwards of 40 and 60 kids who wouldn't have gone to prom, go to prom, if somebody comes in and takes these dresses away, it will decimate us."
The case will be heard at Middlesbrough County Court later.
