A TEENAGER has organised a fashion show in tribute to a friend who took her own life after battling with depression and eating disorders.

Rowena France, 16, killed herself at the Honley home she shared with her mother Jacqueline, father Andy and 14-year-old sister Alex.

She was suffering from depression in the lead up to her death in October last year and had been struggling with both anorexia and bulimia.

Now friend Abbie Parkin, a Greenhead College student, has organised a charity catwalk show in her memory.

Abbie said: “Rowena was an extremely talented athlete and linguist but her biggest passion and love was for fashion.

“She could turn some plain items of clothing into a fabulous, jaw-dropping outfit.

“And shortly before she died she had recently got back from the London College of Fashion after a week’s course in fashion design.

“Therefore I thought it would be appropriate to organise a fashion show in memory of such a beautiful, talented girl.”

The show will be held at Greenhead College on Thursday, April 7, at 7.30pm, with proceeds to the eating disorder charity beat.

Clothes will be provided by Magic in Huddersfield, Divine Youth in Wakefield and Mis Dress in Brighouse.

And entertainment will be provided by indie rock band Hot Against The Cold – made up of five boys from Greenhead who were all friends with Rowena.

Rowena took her life after a two-year battle with bulimia and anorexia.

She was a keen runner and triathlete for Holmfirth Harriers and was a member of Holme Valley Wheelers cycling club.

But in the last few years of her life she had become too ill to carry on doing sport.

Her family lived at Dog Kennel Bank in Almondbury until Rowena was four, when they moved to Honley.

Rowena went to Honley Infants, Honley Juniors and Holmfirth High before starting at Greenhead College where she was studying art, English literature, French and Italian.

Her mother Jacqueline said: “She was really clever, she always strove to do her best at everything she did and she got good GCSE results.”

Her father Andy added: “She had just spent a week at the London College of Fashion doing a foundation course in fashion design.

“She wanted to go and live in Paris one day.”