Hitchin's Nick Jemetta - otherwise known as the Fancy Dress Dad - has celebrated his 100th costume with the 'father' of all costumes... Darth Vader!
Father-of-two Nick, 37, has said that his year-long fancy dress adventure has been the "proudest achievement" of his life, breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health and raising thousands of pounds for charities close to his heart.
Reflecting on his 100th costume, which he donned on Friday (June 11), Nick told the Comet: "I feel really proud of what I've achieved. A lot of my life, I've struggled to feel proud of myself, so I've learnt to feel proud and to celebrate my successes.
"I'm delighted that I managed to get my message out to so many people, delighted I could help so many people and raise so much money for charity."
He added: "Selfishly, I am just trying to enjoy it! I know these life moments don't last and I think we need to train ourselves to enjoy the good times."
Nick's fundraising feat has gone viral, with BBC Breakfast, Channel 5 and Heart Radio just a few of the many media outlets fighting for a chance to speak to Fancy Dress Dad.
Yesterday morning Nick and his family were on Heart Radio, where Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston surprised the Jemettas with a video call with Joe Wicks - who Nick cited as an inspiration for his challenge in the first place.
"I think when I started this, I didn't appreciate the time and effort that it would take, and I grossly underestimated how hard it is to wear fancy dress, source the costumes, get the backgrounds ready, edit the shot, post it all online - but all of the effort was so worth it.
"To get the amount of coverage I have for what is a relatively simple idea, I'm really proud of that!"
Nick has changed his work set up and has shifted to working for himself, so he can carve time out for mental health work. He admitted that fancy dress will no longer be the focus of his campaigning, but that whenever he speaks about his story, he will continue to wear something comical.
"I live what I talk about, and wearing that costume does help to make the conversation less scary, less daunting."
Reaching his goal of 100 costumes, Nick reflected on his journey, noting that he's had people reach out to him directly to let him know how his campaign has touched their lives.
"Knowing that me dressing like an idiot and acting a bit silly can have such a deep, profound impact on someone," he said, "It doesn't really get much better than that!""
"I felt this sense of pride, but also knowing that I have to continue doing what I'm doing, even if it's not through fancy dress - through another vehicle - because there are still so many people who struggle with their mental health and are ashamed of it.
"That's why I continue to speak out; to get rid of that shame, make it easier for more people to feel more confident having those conversations and asking if someone's okay and being prepared to listen non-judgementally and signpost you to the right support."
Nick has been openly speaking about mental health since 2018, and said: "Just because the fancy dress is stopping, I'm not stopping!
"It's given me a platform and a vehicle with which I can drive much more change on a bigger scale."
As his campaign grew, Nick received support directly from JustGiving - amplifying his success.
He hopes that his costume tomfoolery has created a ripple effect that will outlive his fancy dress crusade: "They're memories that I could never have imagined making. They're memories that my family could never have imagined, and I hope my kids are going to remember this and enjoy it. The fact that they were on the phone with Joe Wicks, it's such a brilliant achievement for them."
Nick said that the support and pride from his family - and in particular, his wife and kids - has been a real motivator. Taking his costumes on the road, namely on the school run at St Thomas More in Letchworth and out into local towns and villages, he has seen this support grow among parents and school community, as well as with his family, friends and work colleagues.
"I wanted to prove that this won't just be on a Zoom call. I'm sincere about this, and I've got to be prepared to wear it in any context."
To donate to Nick's fundraiser - which so far has raised over ÂŁ10,000 including gift aid - visit justgiving.com/team/workinfancydress.
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