Lifesize comic costume earns Amelia top prize

FIVE months of painstaking effort have seen a dale teenager take the “cosplay” world by storm.
Staindrop’s Amelia Wailes built a six-feet high costume of game character “Cynder” with the help of her parents and was awarded the best outfit at Birmingham’s Comic Con convention last month. 
The 13-year-old first got into cosplay two years ago after speaking to her friends.
Amelia said: “I really like art and it was kind of a new branch to go through. I went last year in a costume and got a judge’s mention.”
Cosplay is a form of role playing where people dress up as their favourite characters from animated shows and comic books.
Amateurs and professionals compete and pick up tips at conventions across the UK.
The Wailes family went to Birmingham last year to eye up the competition before this year’s title charge.
Mum Katrina Wailes said: “We just watched other people in their costumes with Pokemon and Doctor Who.
“It’s supposed to be family fun – they are all very creative and they encourage people to really go out and have fun.”
The family got to work on their dragon over the winter – sourcing fur, tennis balls, lights, wood, bungee cables, pipe cleaners and all manner of bits and pieces for this year’s prizewinning costume.
Hours of hard work and engineering paid off with Amelia beating the other 19 competitors to pick up the £50 prize.
Mrs Wailes added: “The staff at Boyes were really helpful – we had lots of pink and purple fur being cut up.
“We had a light fitted that flashed and a fan built in to keep her cool – unfortunately that didn’t work too well.”
The Staindrop Academy pupil has decided to use Cynder for a good cause – raising money for Teesdale branch of Cancer Research UK on the back of her competition success. Amelia said: “The colours of the dragon are purple and pink which represent breast cancer and I just recently cut off my hair for the Little Princess Foundation.”
Mrs Wailes added: “We have a history of cancer in our family – I think it’s important there’s a support group for most things so we’ll be getting in touch with them.”
Amelia said she was looking forward to defending her crown next year with a new costume. To donate to the Cancer Research UK fund go to: goo.gl/nmTd2x