Photo by Charlotte Clemie Photographer

Alice Cutler – My Story:

Inspire, support, educate; three words, one Miss England mission! I’m Alice Cutler, a 26-year-old commercial property solicitor and business owner from Southampton, Hampshire. My “Miss England Mission” as I’ve called it, which is what I have been working towards as a Miss England finalist and would bring to the title if I was fortunate enough to win, is to:
 Inspire – to inspire others by sharing my personal story of overcoming adversity, to show them that they can overcome the challenges they face themselves.
 Support – to use Miss England as a platform to support and raise awareness for causes and topics close to my heart, including road safety, grief and loss, social mobility and young enterprises.
 Educate – to educate people about careers in law and having their own business, in the hope
that it will inspire others (especially women) to enter these fields.

My Miss England journey actually began back in March 2015 when I entered Miss Hampshire, a regional heat of Miss England. I was only 17 at the time and entered around a month before the final event. I didn’t realise at the time quite how much prep went into the competition and so placed virtually last on the day as I had very little time to prepare. But I absolutely loved my first Miss England experience and was determined to enter again the following year.

Unfortunately, in the meantime, life had other plans. Just a few months later I was involved in a devastating car accident in which my Mum, who was my last remaining parent at the time after losing my Dad to cancer age 9, was killed and I suffered from a broken spine. The story was big in the press at the time as we were on the way back from my aunt Trisha’s funeral at the time… Honestly you couldn’t make it up! By the age of 18, I had lost both of my parents, all of my grandparents, an aunt, an uncle and four great aunts. Loss was a really prevalent theme in my childhood, and it taught me from a young age that you can never rely on the world around you to stay the same. The next few months were spent adjusting to my new life as an orphan (although I hate using that word) and
recovering from a spinal injury.

Before the accident, I already knew that I wanted to be a lawyer so had been working hard towards my A-Levels to secure a place at university to study law. After the accident, I was determined to finish my A-Levels so only two months later, and still in my spinal brace, I managed to return, complete them and secure a place at the University of Southampton. I am proud to be the first member of my family to go to university and to pursue a corporate career and have never let my upbringing hold me back. Fast forward 8 years and my life looks very different now. After completing my solicitor’s training at Clifford Chance in London (one of the best law firms in the world and one of my greatest achievements) and losing 5 stone which I put on after the accident, I am now a qualified commercial property solicitor working at a law firm in Southampton. I also have my own property investment and development business which I started back in December 2020.

I decided to enter Miss England again, after an almost 9-year hiatus, back in November 2023. It was always something I wanted to circle back to but had just been too busy trying to put my life back together after the accident. 2023 was the first year where I finally reached a point where I had the time and space to consider what else I wanted to do, beyond being a solicitor. Since the accident, I have been determined to use what I have been through for a purpose, and Miss England for me was the perfect fit as it gives you a platform to tell your story and truly make a positive impact. I have been using my Miss England Mission to inspire, support and educate over the last six
months and have had the opportunity to truly make a positive impact (although there is still lots to do!) Ultimately, I hope that my Miss England journey will be the start of a new chapter in my life; a chapter where I can use my skills and life experience to continue to meaningfully make a difference. I have gained so many skills from being a qualified solicitor, all of which have been invaluable on my journey so far and will be in future.

I can’t wait to step on stage at the Miss England final on 16th and 17th May at The Grand Station in Wolverhampton, sponsored by Watermans Hair, alongside the other incredible finalists, bringing the best version of myself that I have found along the way. Regardless of the outcome, I am so excited to see what this next chapter of my life has in store.

For tickets to support Alice at the event visit the Grand Station Website to find out more