Press release 25/5/2024

MISS ENGLAND 2024 RESULTS

Most images on this article by @greyfalena_    –  & @angiebeasley22  or @bamboophotolab   (instagram)

The two day Miss England 2024 final sponsored by Watermanshair.com was held at the Grand Station Wolverhampton on 16^th & 17^th May 2024 .

The owners of Watermans, Gail & Matt Waterman were two of the  judges on the panel  on the final night .

The judges Gail & Matt Waterman and event organiser Angie Beasley walk down the red carpet at the Grand Station Wolverhampton – photo by  @greyfalena_ Instagram

Forty women from across England were invited to compete in the final part of the competition which included a top 5 talent round, the 1920’s  Wedoethical.org fashion round, a make up free round,  interview and catwalk on the final day .

Prior to this the Miss England finalists had been invited to enter a series of qualifiers including a Sportsround at the Heart of England Conference & Events centre near Coventry and other rounds. Each qualifier offered a place in the top 12 on the night of the final!

Melissa Butcher, who works as a prison officer received a selection of vitamins from New-u-health when she won the sports round and finished in 3rd place in the national final !

The sportsround led by former Royal Marine Lee Stuart was won by  Melissa Butcher who was sponsored by Tyson Fury in the competition !

See this article for full results of the sportsround 

Here’s what happened at the two day final…

Dress code for the contestants arrival was red & white.

When they arrived the contestants were ready to show evidence of any fundraising done and were photographed with Susan Bates from the Balls to Cancer Charity . Susan had created a fundraising certificate for each finalist . The contestants were then filmed for their introduction videos and rehearsals commenced.

Arrivals team included L-R Judge Danny Thompson from the Grand Station , Susan Bates from Balls to Cancer Jordan Willliams Host and Angie Beasley organiser & Director of Miss England

Lisa Powell the Miss England Choreographer with our youngest finalist Alexandra Crystal with her Tomavicci gift bag !

Proudly wearing their Red & white arrivals outfit roomies Mary Jennings & Grace Richardson in their arrivals outfits ready for recording their introductions.

Before checking in to the onsite hotel at the Grand Station , Judges Scott Henshall & Claudine Hope  presented  the finalists with their Henshall Way Couture curated exquisite luxury goody bags for the Miss England finalists and judges, blending opulence and elegance.

Each bag the finalists and judges received featured a stunning Tomavicci perfume distributed by Billionaire World and MK13’s Quantum Molecular Facial Mist, ensuring a touch of glamour and skincare sophistication. New U contributed New Tropics Health supplements, enhancing vitality and wellness, while Highborn London supplied a luxurious range of skincare products, epitomizing indulgence for the top 12 contestants.

Two Miss England finalists Imogen & Sienna with their Tomavicci & Henshall Way gift bags which all finalists received. A bigger gallery will soon be shown on the Miss England App of the finalists with the gifts image @angiebeasley22

Judges Scott & Claudine with Angie Beasley

Additionally, judges received the exclusive Aura scented candle by Henshall Way Couture, adding a final touch of refinement.

These curated items perfectly captured the prestige and elegance befitting the Miss England event. The finalists were pictured backstage with the gifts , check out the images taken by Martin Lovemore of the Miss England national finalists on the Miss England App gallery coming soon!

THE TOP FUNDRAISER WAS CHARLOTTE GRANT WHO IS THE FIRST RUNNER UP IN MISS ENGLAND 2024 ! 

Image @angiebeasley22

A fundraising challenge for the local Balls to Cancer charity in Wolverhampton & the Miss World Beauty with a Purpose and Papyrus the Suicide Prevention charity were the chosen recipients of the funds raised by the contestants.

Over £42k was raised for the 3 causes!

The top fundraiser was announced on day 1 who was

Charlotte Grant Miss Liverpool raising over £7,130 for the Balls to Cancer Charity

Charlotte raised some of the funds by abseiling down Anfield Liverpool Football club !

The Top 5 in the talent round were

images of top 5 talent are by @greyfalena_

Amy Blyth – Blackpool  ( Singer)

Eloise Sarasini  Shropshire  (Singer )

Fay Cann Brighton   (Skateboarder)

Milla Magee  Newquay  (Singer)

Abby Knight Falmouth (Pianist & Composer)

image @greyfalena_

Abby Knight from Falmouth impressed the judges and won the Miss England Talent award! Abby represented FAB UK Magazine in the Miss England competition after competing in the FabUK Top model final last September . 

Image @greyfalena_

The 1920s theme ethical fashion show was held on the first night and a shortlist of 12 were invited to open the show ! Here they are in the historic Grand Station in their outfits ! Photo @GreyFalena_  (instagram) 

The brief was to create an outfit made from 10 items with a travel theme 1920s style !

After help from the judges selecting the shortlist, Kelly Levell chose Milla Magee as the winner . Here is Milla in her Eco outfit with Kelly Levell and Theron Mahoney who also received an award for his Ethical lifestyle !

Milla Magee was chosen as the winner of the  We Do Ethical Fashion round and she now becomes an ambassador for Kelly Levell who this year celebrated 10 years being associated with Miss England !  Kelly also presented other ethical awards to special guests she had invited on the night who included Theron Mahoney the young man pictured !  Mary Anne Jennings a Miss England finalist also received an Ethical Queen award from Kelly at the event along with Jennifer Carless a former Miss England finalist for their ethical way of living !

The next group of images in the Wedoethical.org 1920s are by @bamboophotolab

Ethical fashion pictures by @bamboophotolab  ( instagram)

Day two started with the Bare face final catwalk

The contestants arrived fresh faced and completely make up free to do a final catwalk for 3 judges who were, Scott Henshall , Angie Beasley and Danny Thompson .

Two online judges also viewed all the contestants make up free images before the final winner was chosen . Afrose Ameen was voted as the winner of the make up free round ( 3rd in from left in the blue team)

Video coming soon of the Bare face catwalk !

image @greyfalena_

Afrose Ameen ( 23) an engineering masters student from Lewisham was voted as the Bare Face top model  with her natural striking looks & bright smile  & received a beautiful skincare set from Highborn London.

Explore the Nation ! 

Finalists were invited to submit a powerpoint to promote the area they live to enter this round.

Judges for this round were looking for knowledge of their local area , interesting facts and famous people and best places to visit with a confident presentation for the shortlist.

Six contestants impressed the judges from all entries submitted who were then shortlisted for a zoom meeting prior to the final who were ;

Mary Jennings ,  Alice Cutler , Milla Magee , Chloe McEwen , Grace Richardson &  Lauren Malone

image @greyfalena_

Alice Cutler won the Explore the Nation Award and was presented with the City Sightseeing sash by Roger Moore  on stage at the final and a fast track place in the Miss England final .

Roger Moore with the new Miss England Milla Magee & Explore the nation winner Alice Cutler from Southampton on the night of the final ! image @angiebeasley22

City Sightseeing London are kindly organizing a London Bus Tour in the Summer for the Miss England winner and  shortlisted finalists! 

Publicity Queen in association with FAB UK Magazine

The finalist were invited to create publicity for themselves and the competition in the lead up to the event . Jessica Pliskin a physics student from Bristol managed to secure a TV interview with local ITV news channel where she spoke about how Miss England has evolved , and appeared in various publications including the TAB Student newspaper read by students across the country , various online platforms including the BBC national website reaching millions of viewers across the country and the world !

Click the image to watch Jessicas TV Interview 

image @greyfalena_

Since the Miss England final , Jessica has been invited to participate in the SUPERTALENT of the World Fashion final in South Korea and is now in Seoul representing the UK !  Jessica wants to break in to Modelling and the Miss England final has given her a great start !

Beautiful Brows & Lashes influencer

For the third year running , Beautiful Brows and Lashes invited the Miss England national finalists to create content on their own  social media using  products from Beautiful Brows & Lashes .

image @greyfalena_

The brand were invited to chose a winner of their choice who represented their brand well.  Miss Manchester Vanessa  was voted as the best influencer for Beautiful Brows & Lashes and Vanessa was delighted to reach the final 12 by winning this award. Vanessa will received a paid influencing job from Miss England and more products from Beautiful Brows & Lashes! 

Public vote

image @greyfalena_

Finalists for the Miss England 2024 event all took part in a public vote in the lead up to the Miss England final which ended at 12noon on the day of the final.

The winner of the public vote was Kayla Riley  from the Wirral . Kayla ( 18)  is a salon owner and was sponsored by a Touch of Bliss in the contest

WATERMANS GORGEOUS HAIR

The finalists were invited to sample Watermans , the headlines sponsors of Miss England 2024 and test their award winning products and post content using the brand. After much consideration , they voted Milla Magee as their favourite contestant !

image @greyfalena_

The Miss England finalists created lots of social media content!

This meant that as Milla Magee was named as the winner of two awards.

This meant three  judges choices were invited to join the top 12  from the interview rounds..

INTERVIEW RESULTS 

The three contestants shortlisted by the judges from the interviews where

Sanjna Southi Miss Birmingham

Chloe McEwen Miss Yorkshire

Tiger Mae Millington who was also awarded the Henshall Way Best Style award – not a fast track award but was a judges choice for the final 12.

image @bamboophotolab

So after all the qualifying rounds , the final 12 were

Melissa Butcher , Alice Cutler , Charlotte Grant , Abby Knight ,  Jessica Pliskin , Vanessa Tendo  Milla Magee , Kayla Riley , Afrose Ameen Sanjna Southi , Chloe McEwen and Tiger-Mae Millington who were then all invited to take part in a final 12 fashion show for the Miss England official evening wear partner SIMPLY DIVINE

images @greyfalena_

The judges then had the difficult task of first choosing a top 5 from the final 12 contenders…

Visit Simply Divine 

Top 5

The judges on the night then voted for their top 5 who were ;

L-R Chloe McEwen,  Milla Magee,  Charlotte Grant,  

Melissa Butcher,  Sanjna Southi

images @greyfalena_

All five were asked the same question

“What would you bring to the role of Miss England “

Milla answered first and said how she wanted to raise awareness for her chosen Beauty with a Purpose project which is called GO FAR WITH CPR .

Milla spoke passionately about how she wants to try and get CPR rolled out in schools across England to save lives and how she wanted to make a difference . With the Miss England platform she could.

Milla Magee pictured with Gail Waterman sponsors of the Miss England national final ! image @bamboophotolab

Milla Magee from Newquay was announced as the Miss England winner and will now represent England in the 72^nd Miss World final.

1st runner up was Charlotte Grant from Liverpool

2nd runner up was Melissa Butcher from Lancaster !

The organiser  Angie Beasley would also like to thank the following companies who added to the glamorous occasion at the Grand Station!

The Fireworks firm 

Angie Beasley Miss England director and organiser of the event with Freddie from the Fireworks Firm – image Alan Strutt

Art Flower design provided beautiful flowers to the Miss England final 3 , here’s Art himself with the winner Milla Magee ! Click the image to find out more about Art Flowers

The Trophy Parlour

Jessica Gagen for being a fantastic Miss England and crowning presenting the winners with their trophies – Jessica’s red gown from Miss England Dress partner Simply Divine

The judges on the final night L-R Brendan Marc Sculley , Alan Strutt , Eric Way , Douglas , Danny Thompson , Carina Tyrell , with organiser Angie Beasley , Gail Waterman , Scott Henshall , Matt Waterman & Dar Bardot – image @greyfalena_

Shout out to Jess Hynes for performing on the final night

A big thankyou to Nathan & Caitlyn for creative help with Miss England and we cant wait for Milla’s new website to go live!

Massive thankyou to @Kreativebakes for making beautiful cakes for every single finalist

Big thank you to Ruby Lemon who provided the ladies in red at the reception ! Here they are with judges Alan Strutt and Dar Bardot and event organiser Angie Beasley www.rubylemon.com photo @greyfalena_

www.rubylemon.com 

More images may be added to this article when available !

On the 12th May 2024 Paige Loren Cannon James from Liverpool flew to Egypt with her family ready to represent the UK in the 30^th Top Model of the World Final .

Last September,  Paige decided to enter the FabUK Top model contest held at the Taj 51 Buckingham Gate in September organised by Angie Beasley & held in conjunction with FAB UK MAGAZINE

After competing with lots of contenders some who qualified for the Miss England final , Paige won the title and qualified for a place in the TOP MODEL OF THE WORLD event where she’s now representing the UK!

This isn’t the first international contest Paige has competed at. Just days after the Miss England  2022 final,  where Paige represented Merseyside, she was scouted for the Miss Charm contest in Vietnam .

Despite not reaching the Top 12 in the Miss England final,  Paige was spotted on the Miss England social media account by international organisers and invited to take part and whisked off to Vietnam for a two week event where she enjoyed meeting people from all over the world,  an experience she will never forget.

Now in Egypt we caught up with Paige to see how she’s getting on ahead of the final this weekend !

In Paige’s words

” Im so excited to be representing the UK and the hotels ive stayed in are so amazine. The first hotel we stayed was the Sunrise Aquajoy. In Hurgarda … Now I’m in the 2nd hotel called the Sunrise Tanoak in in Sokhona it’s so stunning!

When we arrived on the first day we had the white opening party down at the garden beach resort , so everyone wore white it looked so stylish !   Iive brought lots of things to wear as theres shoots and events most days.

I’ve  brought a mixture of dresses & outfits from  Pretty little thing. Boohoo , Murci , Dressmezee  & Club London.

I can’t wait to wear my finals dress created by MAIA LONDON ! Its made from 100%  hand beaded crystals

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7M8hV7MTgS/?igsh=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA==

I’ve been sharing a room with a Top Model winner from Hungary …I’ve now since made friends with winners from across the world including the USA,  Egypt and Germany!

 I’ve loved sharing this experience so far with them !

My favourite event so far was this Coachella night theme boohoo vibes.

For this event I went for a gold dress which I got from Debenhams /  with gold boots and a gold halo love this vibe festival outfit.   I’m so excited for the final now it’s on the 24th May at the amazing Tanoak hotel Ain Sokhona . Im really looking forward to taking part in  the final catwalk show as I love to model.

Win or lose I’ve had a great experience !!”

Paige in a photoshoot in Egypt !

Fab UK Magazine and the Miss England team wish Paige the very best of luck in the Top Model of the World Final this weekend !

TO FOLLOW THE COMPETITION ON INSTAGRAM @wbotopmodel

Forty women from across the nation from all walks of life are heading off to the Grand Station Wolverhampton this week to take part in the final two days of Miss England , the nations entry to Miss World !  Jessica Gagen the reigning Miss England is flying in from South Africa especially to crown her successor . Following her success in Miss World , Jessica will continue as Miss UK and Miss World Europe after placing in the top 8 in the 71st Miss World final and has been invited on a world tour with the Miss World organisation.

In the lead up to the Miss England final , the contestants have had the option of  taking part in ten various challenges set by the organisers to try and reach the shortlist on the final night,  including promoting their home towns & cities in the Explore the nation round where they create a powerpoint, raising funds for the Balls to Cancer charity by doing sky dives sponsored walks and fun events,   posting images and videos about themselves using Watermans Hair products, who are the headline sponsor and sharing images of themselves make up free !   There are also other challenges that the contestants face if they want to have the chance of reaching the shortlist .

Not what you would expect from a beauty pageant really .

On the 7th May , the finalists were  invited to participate in the Miss England sports round at the Heart of England run by former Marine Lee Stuart .  Only 1 contestant has reached the final 12 so far .    “Melissa Butcher” , a prison officer from Lancaster , sponsored by the Gypsy King himself  “Tyson Fury” was named as the Miss England Sportswoman winner after a gruelling one hour workout.

So how do the judges pick the Miss England winner from all the amazing finalists ?

Here’s a rundown …

1. Finalists are invited to enter up to 10 qualifying rounds to try and make it to the final shortlist . All rounds are optional !
2. A winner from each round is then fast tracked through the top 12 on the final night by independent sponsors associates and Miss England judges!
3. On the day of the final the panel of judges will meet each of the finalists in person for 2 minutes & will select the remaining finalists . (If a contestant wins more than one award , this frees up more judges choices )
4. The top 12 are announced , the slate is wiped clean and the judges choose a Miss England winner from their performance in the interviews and catwalks on the night of the final!

The first day in the contest will be the WeDoEthical.org 1920s themed fashion show where all the contestants have been invited to create a stylish outfit from recycled materials . The top 5 in the talent round will be showcased and the three top fundraisers will be announced .

The Judges who have the difficult task of choosing the winners for  the first evening include ;

Kelly Levell – founder of We Do Ethical ,

Shirin Grey Director of the national pageant expo ,

Scott Henshall – Henshall Way 

Claudine Hope – Power of Women Magazine 

 Danny Thompson  – Grand Station 

On Day two judges for the first time are being split in to 4 groups and include

Gail & Matt Watermans owners of Watermans Hair 

Brendan Marc Scully Director of Miss World Ireland and Miss Universe Ireland 

Celebrity Photographer Alan Strutt 

Claudine Hope – Power of Woman Magazine 

Eric Way – Henshall Way 

Danny Thompson – Grand Station Wolverhampton 

Carina Tyrell Miss England & Miss UK 2014 & public health physician 

Scott Henshall – Henshall Way 

Dar Bardot Celebrity Hairstylist based at Harrods 

Douglas Gordon MacGregor MacLennan Chair Graduate Fashion Foundation

head over to the Miss England website at 7pm on Friday 17th May to watch the event live , just sign up on the link on the homepage , its only £5 to watch ! 

Mental health week is 13th – 19th May – the week of the Miss England finals & here Chloe Mcewen shares her own mental health journey 

“Hello everyone, my name is Chloe Mcewen, I’m 22 years old, from Harrogate  North Yorkshire. I am the current Miss Yorkshire representing Yorkshire in the 2024 Miss England finals.

 I am a level 3 qualified personal trainer, but most importantly I am passionate about inspiring and helping lift people’s mental health, not only through fitness of course but through many other tools that have helped me find peace and happiness along the way.

My awareness and journey with mental health all started at the age of 16.

I was a  young, naive teenager and one Friday evening was having a few drinks with some friends. Being a teen, I had drank alcohol before and been fine, but on this occasion I was not. It was suspected I was spiked, but nothing was ever proved.

I ended up not sleeping for 3 days. Day 1 and 2 went by and the lack of sleep started to have severe effects on my mental state. By day 3 of no sleep, I was hallucinating horrific things, having scary delusional and paranoid thoughts and thought people were out to get me. It felt like I was living in a real life horror film. Due to experiencing these delusions, I tried escaping out of my bedroom window and became a danger to myself. At this point the emergency services were called and after being assessed by around 12 different medical professionals, they came to the decision to place me on a section 2, meaning I had to be detained in a secure psychiatric hospital for up to 28 days to be monitored and kept safe.

 Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse. Whilst being detained in hospital the doctors tried me on many medications to try to balance my brain chemistry, but nothing agreed with me. Once the 28 day section approached, I was to have another full medical team assessment.  Since showing no signs of recovery, I was placed on a section 3 which meant I was now detained for up to 6 months and due to the severity of my mental health and still enduring psychotic episodes,  I had to be sent to a higher secure psychiatric hospital in Manchester, which was much more restrictive. Some would compare it to being as bad as living in a prison.

It was an old, mediaeval building, with bars on the windows and was very secure so no one could ever escape.  At this stage I had still totally lost touch with reality,  not knowing who anyone was, what I was doing and had lost all sense of safety. I was unrecognisable to anyone that knew me.

After a few months of being in this hospital and after trialling many different medications, luckily I started to slowly remember who my family were and who I was. The delusional thoughts and hallucinations were slowly fading away due to the medication finally working. This was great news! It meant I was able to have some freedom back and eventually some  home leave but this wasn’t a quick process. They had to assess me over a period of months to make sure I was well enough to be released back home.

 As I became more compos mentis, I became more aware of my surroundings and it  became challenging having to stay in this hospital around all of these severely mentally unwell youths.

 I was missing my home comforts. I had forgotten what that felt like, to feel safe and comfortable in your own bed.

During the months of recovering in hospital, I turned to food for comfort, leading me to gain nearly 4 stone in weight. Food was the main luxury we had in there, luxuries such as phones weren’t allowed, they were seen as a risk and hazard because of the glass in the screen.

After finally being well enough, for a long enough period,  I was given the ok to start having home leave.

The recovery was just to begin….. I started suffering  badly with anxiety, due to the isolation, side effects from all of the different medications (massively affecting my energy levels) as well as the extra weight I had put on, all knocking my confidence massively.

 It was only when I came back out into ‘the real world’ that I realised I was not the same outgoing, healthy young girl anymore. Unable to do the ‘simple things’ that most of us wouldn’t think twice about, like having a conversation, cooking a meal, going for a walk on my own were no longer so effortless.

One of the biggest lessons I learnt from all of this was there is always somebody worse off, so I started practising gratitude everyday. The thought of feeling grateful seemed impossible to start with, but I realised there is  ALWAYS something to be grateful for and I had my freedom and home back, which was a great start!

Practising gratitude and focusing on what I did have instead of what i didnt, massively helped shift my mind-set from negative to positive.I will never take my health and freedom for granted again.

Luckily I had amazing support from my mum, who slowly encouraged me back into wellbeing and exercise. She chose to focus on  giving me as much support as she possibly could and to focus on what was in our control to help lift me up and help make me better.

I was struggling to get out of bed, let alone get through an intense workout like I did before and do now. I would go back to the gym several times and be so overwhelmed with anxiety and lack of energy, that I would just walk straight back out again.  So I took a different approach. Rather than expecting unrealistic goals for me at that time, I started practising small daily disciplines and commitments to myself that were achievable and not overwhelming.

 Getting out of the house every day, even if it was just for 5 minutes was the first goal. The more I stuck to this, the more my mood started to lift and I slowly built up confidence and pushed for more. I started going for longer walks, then gentle workouts, guided meditations to calm my mind and added healthy food swaps to help boost my energy levels and gradually progressed from there.

I slowly started to get my confidence back, lost some of the weight I had gained and managed to wean off the majority of my medication under a medical professional.

If I pushed through, especially on the harder days, I was proud of myself by the end.

 By trying my best, continuing to practise gratitude day & night, I was starting to improve and feel human again.

 Finally I went back to college when I was 17 and opted for personal training. After the battle I had, I learnt so much about myself and how fitness had a huge role in my recovery, as well as building my confidence at the same time. It really helped change my life for the better.

 Through my hardest and loneliest time, I managed to find myself and learn so much and even found a job that I love that can help others, once I had passed my  qualification as a P.T!

 What once felt like a curse, became my biggest blessing. I found my purpose at such a young age. I knew that If I can heal myself and overcome all of this, I can share my story and tools with others to give them hope and inspiration to do the same. Helping others helps me  find more peace and happiness.

My advice to anyone that is going through a tough time, is that life works in equal balance of bad and good. Without rain, you can’t appreciate the sun. Through challenges comes growth, strength and lessons.

Start being grateful for what you already have rather than what you don’t.   There is always something to be grateful for. Remembering this really allows me to see life in a different light. I am grateful for every day I wake up now.

Unfortunately I relapsed since this time, due to me thinking I was well enough to totally come off the last of my medication without a medical professional. Luckily this was a shorter relapse and by learning so much the first time, I managed to recover faster and learn to never come off my medication unless advised to by my doctor.

Since winning Miss Yorkshire it has enabled me to reach many more people and has given me the platform to do public talks on this matter and inspire and help some of those currently struggling with their mental health throughout my community.

Never in a million years would  17 year old me think I would recover the way I have, become a level 3 personal trainer, be helping people, speaking on stage and win Miss Yorkshire!!! It really has  been more than a dream come true!

Since being crowned in October 2023, I started volunteering for the charity ‘MIND in Harrogate‘, by helping out in their weekly arts & crafts group, doing 1 to 1 fitness & mindfulness sessions as well as talks sharing my story and mind-set tools such as, exercise, meditation, nutrition,  practising gratitude and mindfulness activities  which can help improve your mental health.

Recently I  also climbed the Yorkshire 3 Peaks with Lisa Ellis, another Miss England Finalist and managed to raise just over 1700 pounds for Mind in Harrogate. This was the ultimate mental & physical challenge, but we did it!

My goal now is to be able to reach many more with my story and tools and be an inspiration to anyone struggling with their mental health. If I can overcome being sectioned, bipolar disorder and now using this as my strength to help others, so can others. If only I had an influencer to look up too, who had been through something similar, a lot of my doubts about never being normal again could have been diminished sooner.

I would also love to be able to raise funding for those in psychiatric hospitals so they can have access to better nutrition, mindfulness activities and complementary therapies in the wards and on release, as well as having the knowledge on how to help heal themself as they return home.

Winning Miss England will allow me to reach the wider population. With crisis teams inundated and under- resourced especially after the pandemic, it is clearly a matter that needs more attention. The Miss England platform will fast track me to raise much needed awareness and to inspire and educate many more of those in need.

There is always light at the end of the tunnel.”

Chloe will be representing Yorkshire at the Miss England national finals at the Grand Station Wolverhampton on 16th & 17th May 2024 sponsored by Watermans Hair . For tickets visit 

www.grandstation.co.uk/missengland 

It’s simple, this campaign and the Miss England platform inspired me to show complete authenticity.

I have always wanted to make a difference, before I became a Miss England contestant I had very clear views on what it was I wanted to do to make an impact. My purpose as a Miss England finalist is to raise awareness and educate the youth on street violence.

Back in 2015, I lost my uncle due to gun crime. I witnessed and felt the heavy impact this had on my family.

Two years later at the age of 14 I attended the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena with a friend. The night took a drastic turn as a bomb was designated. It took the lives of 22 people, some of these being children. It was the most frightening night of my life and for the lives of many others.

My confidence was shattered, I was scared to go out and extremely shy as a teenager. I decided this was not how I wanted to live my life.

I was offered an opportunity in modelling and decided to take the risk and just go for it! This is how I got to where I am today.

My purpose goes further than just educating the youth. I can relate to the feeling of losing a loved one at the hands of another persons actions.

This is where I want to show my support to the families of those victims who sadly lost their lives at the bombing.

I am living proof that no matter what you go through, life goes on. What matters is how we deal with situations in life. That is what determines who we are and what we do next. We are all capable of being the person we want to be, no matter how hard it may feel at the time.

I want to be the woman people can come to, to talk to and to find comfort in.

My purpose has been and always will be; to be that extra reassurance – you are never alone, there is always someone out there you can talk to no matter what age, gender or what current situation you are going through. There is always help.

Thank you for taking your time to read my story, I hope I inspire anyone who reads this!

Modellé is a Finalist in the Miss England 2024 competition -which is sponsored by www.watermanshair.com due to be held at the Grand Station Wolverhampton on the 16th & 17th May 2024 .

You can support  by downloading the Miss England App for FREE & place a Free Daily vote for her. 

Tickets to the 2 day Miss England final event  are available on the Grand Station 

TICKETS FOR THE MISS ENGLAND FINAL AVAILABLE HERE 

Tiger-May Millington won the Bare Face Top Model award at the recent Miss England semi final held in Blackpool . Here’s more information about Tiger in her own words …..

” My name is Tiger-May Millington, and I am 26 years old and from County Durham. I attained a degree in Marketing and Management from a top 5 UK University, Durham. I work as a Professional Model and part-time Social Media Manager.

At the age of 22 years old I experienced a physical trauma that left me with bladder damage.

This left me traumatised with a catheter bag strapped to my leg, as well as learning to self-catheterise. This may have been a permanent fixture! However, I was lucky that this was not the case, and I recovered with the support of my family and community. The experience has made me more resilient and determined and I will always be grateful for the support I received, especially since I was recovering during Covid, achieving a 2.1 was at times unimaginable!

Tiger without and with make up ! 

I have volunteered at my local community centre for many years; assisting in running events, as well as raising funds, and have contributed to over £40,000 raised. In 2017 I was the youngest Trustee of a community centre in the country.

My aim for participating in Miss England is simple: kindness to people, animals, and the environment. I aim to empower women of all ages to feel good through the choices they make, in all aspects of life, by educating them on how they can live a more sustainable, cruelty free lifestyle, choosing compassion over cruelty. I have been actively involved with Animal Aid UK and North-East Animal Rights, campaigning in the beauty and food industries through social media articles, school and sixth form talks, and public outreach events. Addressing environmental issues is critical for us all in helping to tackle many health issues, such as cancer.

If I was lucky enough to win Miss England I’d want to use ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ to support Miss England’s chosen charities, particularly wedoethical.org, and to empower women to feel good about the choices they make. Let us use this prestigious title to spread awareness of the critical issues facing us all. Let us create a world we want our children to live in that is focussed on compassion. I aim to do this by continuing with my outreach work, talks in schools, and continuing to influence through social media. If I won Miss England I would use the position to network with other organisations, using the Miss England crown to amplify the importance of addressing environmental issues.

The message is simple, if we all made small adaptations in our choices, then this will lead to a tidal wave of environmental change!”

Tiger is now a national finalist competing in the Miss England national final at the Grand Station Wolverhampton in the 2 day event on the 16th & 17th May 2024 sponsored by Watermans Hair and will receive gifts at the final including luxury perfume by Tomavicci and skincare from Highborn London

For tickets to support Tiger at the Miss England Grand final please visit this website

Photo by David Dresser

Photo of Alexandria  by David Dresser

 

I refuse to let anything hold me back, I am determined to be a role model for all, my message is simple ‘If I can do it at my age whilst juggling life and exams anyone can find their own route and create their own journey, you just need to have purpose,  conviction and be determined to overcome obstacles that get in your way’. There is good reason for my dyslexia campaign,  stark official figures indicate around 57% of the prison population is dyslexic with no official data for the number of homeless neuro-diverse individuals; with the right support social issues can be address, talent can be unlocked in the sciences, engineering, computing and the arts. For me better awareness of how to unlock those educational and employment opportunities will support so many other good causes, promote career routes and change perceptions.

I relish the opportunity to help, advocate and support other good causes in the same way I have thrown myself into the competition. I’m ready for the next set of challenges so I can highlight that you don’t need to have any experience to make a difference you simply need to start and not put it off for another day or until the time is right because you’ll probably put it off indefinitely.

Being a competitor has taught me so much about myself, I’m a campaigner, I’m an advocate, I’m a fundraiser, I’m an events organiser, I’m talented. Most importantly I’m part of a sorority who all have their own stories and journeys, their own causes close to their hearts and all wanting to be the difference the world needs; I’m part of the Miss England family and will forever cherish my opportunity and everything it has given me. Our sisterhood is not just a group of pretty faces, we are true beauties with a purpose, each and everyone of us beautiful in our own unique way both inside and out. Whilst I am telling you my story I have to speak up and say  every woman in the final has earned their place and I am proud to be a part of that.

 

What cannot be side-lined however is the reality of being one of the youngest ever finalists which means over the next few weeks I am also sitting my GCSE’s!”

 

Image by David Dresser

Vanessa Tendo Naddamba Miss Manchester 2024

Born in Uganda, and moved to Liverpool in England at 9 years old to to live with her Mother and siblings , Vanessa Tendo Naddamba is a 24-year-old who has always strived to do the best she can in everything she does.

The eldest daughter to all her 6 siblings Vanessa ensures she sets the best example not only at home in her private life but also for the generation at large that looks up to her. Wearing many hats she is a project manager by profession, a sports enthusiast, and also a singer and a lover of everything that empowers women.

Before she came to England, Vanessa attended boarding school at Gayaza junior school in Uganda and recently went back home to give back in 2023 as Miss Uganda Uk where she advocated for soft skills to be embedded within the Ugandan education system, a 2-month mission that was highly successful as it was welcomed by both children and adults alike.

Now a Masters graduate and in her desired profession, Vanessa continues to trailblaze for young girls especially young black girls in the UK. When it comes to her settling in the UK Vanessa recalls having a very welcoming experience “my mum had already set up my place in school and the children and teachers learnt about my country before I joined. It made me feel so accepted and I feel it really helped assimilate with ease.” 

While her primary school experience was positive she did recall experiencing some challenging times in high school. Although confident in herself and her abilities in high school, when she started, she soon found that the system did not seem to share this ideal in-fact, at the beginning of her high school journey she was placed in what was called at the time “the learning zone” this particular cohort of students were the ones that were deemed as “struggling students” that needed extra support when studying. Now, on the surface level this seems fair enough, as there is support that is given to a student in need, except this was not the case for Vanessa, she was a very capable student and even the teacher in the learning zone could see this. She recalls once asking why she had been placed where she clearly did not belong and the teacher at the time hinting that this was due to her background and where she had come from.

 ‘I did not really understand the significance of this until I got older. Did it offend me at the time, yes a little bit but it also did not get to me as I already knew what I was capable of on my own and I also had a mother that nurtured that confidence in me every single day. I remember thinking to myself well you might not think I’m clever enough, but I know I am and I can only work to prove that. Which I did as later that year I had been taken out of it.’ 

‘However now that i understand, this could have had a negative impact and is actually a terrible way to group students in terms of their capability in education. Many children already suffer with low self esteem, low motivation in studying especially when they do not know what they want to do in life yet in terms of careers, some do not have the support they need at home to be able to realise their potential early on. While I do not disagree with identifying that a child needs more support and doing the needful to provide that; I strongly believe that allocating  capability bands due to prejudice does not help the child fulfil their potential, it does the opposite, you really risk a self fulfilling prophecy occurring as the child ends up believing whatever limitation you have placed on them as a teacher or even as a system which can perpetuate inequalities further’ 

Winning Miss Manchester 2024

 Vanessa’s high school years were not terrible, but they definitely were some of her most challenging days, ‘definitely character building’ she says. What kept her going was her trust in herself and her ability to still achieve what she wanted to achieve in life on her own accord. Now grown up and she sees how her confidence has carried her through some of her toughest moments, Vanessa advocates for self sufficiency and self development for children to help them get through their own challenging times. Her soft skills campaign is very relevant to bridging the gap in inequalities in education.

Having been participating in pageantry for 6 years now with her newest title as Miss Manchester 2024 set to go to compete in Miss England, Vanessa’s goal has remained consistent over the years and that is to empower through education. She aims to inspire young minds and bridge the gap in inequalities by working with the underprivileged in the city with some charities she is already in partnership with.   She would like to Encourage every girl to have the ability to wear different hats and take up space in the world and fields we would not normally be in.

Vanessa said ” What I would want anyone to take away from my story is to continue to believe in yourself despite what limitations other people try to put on you” …

Read Vanessa’s winning story here in the Manchester Evening News 

Vanessa will be representing Manchester in the Miss England National final sponsored by Watermans Hair  on 16th & 17th May 2024 at the Grand Station Wolverhampton.

For tickets to support Vanessa in the contest  visit here