SIX Gwent girls are all finalists in this year’s Miss Heart of Wales beauty pageant in aid of charity.
The Miss Heart of Wales contestants have all been fundraising for this year’s chosen charity, cancer charity Tenovus. The pageant, which takes places on Saturday has three categories which include Mini Miss Heart of Wales (7-12-years-old), Miss Teen Heart of Wales (13-19-years-old) and Miss Heart of Wales (20+).
The aims to showcase women of Wales with no restrictions on age, height or weight of contestants. The finalist for Miss Heart of Wales include Jodie Emes, of Cwmbran, Jemma Cox, 20, of Griffithstown and Anne Shingler, of Newport.
Jodie Emes, 25, manager of the Blinkin’ Owl Pub, Cwmbran, said: “I haven’t lost any one close to me with cancer but I can see the pain it causes people. I wanted to get involved in fundraising and the pageant sounded like good fun.”
The contestants will take part in a catwalk and will have to conduct an interview with a panel of judges including Sarah Fleming, Miss Wales 2006, Paralympic gold medallist Aled Davies and Cath Jones who is a breast cancer patient and has received support from Tenovus services.
Finalists in the Miss Teen category include Zeena Gyomrey, 18, of Crossway, Monmouthshire. The Hereford College of Arts student said: “I was a Miss Wales finalist this year. I want to do this pageant to gain more experience with it and to show people that inner beauty is important which is something that I can take back to my community.”
Maddalyn Cain-Smith of Beechwood Crescent and Rebecca Skinner, of St Brides Gardens, Newport, are both taking part in the Mini Miss Heart of Wales competition. Marrianne Cain-Smith, mother of Maddalyn, eight, said: “I am a member of a fundraising group for Tenovus and this pageant is a great way for Maddalyn to get involved with fundraising. She has volunteered at a Tenovus charity shop and joined in the rehearsals for the Cwmbran Tenevous choir – she enjoyed it so much she wants to become a member.”
The event will be hosted by Polly James, Capital FM Breakfast Show presenter and will feature a performance by Starburst, a dance group, as seen on Britain’s Got Talent and Got to Dance.
Lisa Skinner, mother of Mini Miss Finalist Rebecca Skinner, 11-years-old, said: “Her sash is pride of place on her bedroom wall. This competition isn’t just about her beauty she really loves putting on the dresses that she wouldn’t normally get to wear and it also ties in with her charity work.”
The event is at City Hall, Cardiff, tomorrow. For more information visit missheartofwales.com
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