Lurgan ladies turn on the style at Cheltenham Festival in the company of Queen Camilla and are photographed for Hello!

Victoria Lavery and Shileen McConville planned their first trip to Cheltenham to kick off celebrations for their 50th birthdays later this year.

The pair, who have been friends ever since they went to Tannaghmore Primary School, pulled out all the stops to make sure their visit to Cheltenham Festival was truly memorable, especially as they had tickets for the first ever Style Day – formerly Ladies Day – on Wednesday.

The ladies turned out in stunning outfits on a day when fine attire added to the spectacle with VIPs showing off the style alongside thousands of glamorous racegoers.

And they found themselves in the most glittering of company, featuring in a variety of national media coverage of the day, including Hello! magazine’s online round-up of the best dressed guests alongside Queen Camilla, Zara Tindall and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.

The pair’s individual glamour shone through the theme of Fashion Sustainability.

Shileen’s gorgeous pink vintage-style checked coat was accessorised perfectly with a matching headpiece and burgundy accessories. It had been custom-made using petticoats from her wedding dress.

Victoria’s cream vintage suit, styled with all-black accessories, was bought to wear to a wedding 22 years ago and still proved to be a real head-turner.

Although this was their first experience of Cheltenham, it wasn’t their first day at the races. The friends have been to various fabulous festivals such as Royal Ascot, Aintree, The Derby at Epsom and the Dubai World Cup.

They found Style Wednesday at Cheltenham a ‘thoroughly enjoyable experience’, so much so, they have booked for next year.

Shileen, who works for OpenReach/BT in a managerial role, also has her own hat rentals business – McConville Crowns – which caters for special occasions.Victoria has been with Newry-based company First Derivatives for 26 years, starting when they employed five people and now the FD group employs over 3,000 people.

The two friends – both married with three children each – are now planning lots of other activities together to mark their landmark birthday year.