MISS HERTFORDSHIRE 2013

Hey Guys!

My second post!
I'm loving this blogging stuff, i think i could get used to updating most days, i have a lot to share with everyone!

Today i want to tell you about my experience in the Miss England pageant.

Miss England is one of the many pageants young women can enter in the UK. It has discovered  faces that later became successful models, created friendships between girls from all over the country and also raised money for the Miss World charity - Beauty with a purpose.

The winner of Miss England receives the chance to compete in the Miss World pageant as well as various luxurious prizes such as a full wardrobe of clothing to wear at Miss World, a trip to Mauritius, jewelry and many more. Not a bad combo of prizes, huh!

However to compete in the Miss England pageant, you must first win a regional heat after being selected from hundreds of applicants.

I entered the Miss Hertfordshire pageant, as it was my most local pageant.

I know what you are all thinking... its all skinny girls with fake smiles and fake personalities to match... well that's not the case at all. 

My experience of the pageant was absolutely amazing. Right from the beginning I was having fun. 
This isn't usually the type of thing I'd do, im not confident at all and i never thought too highly of my looks. But i decided to apply, thinking i'd never be selected. 
When i got the email from the organizer informing me that i had been selected as a finalist  for the pageant i was first surprised, then excited, then terrified. I never expected it to actually get this far!

My first job was to find a sponsor. This was difficult as i had a limited time to find one! I emailed everyone i knew and finally my local dentist agreed to sponsor me to enter the pageant. 

I was also faced with the challenge of creating an "Eco-dress". This was the bane of my life at the time. It required me to make a dress from recycled items with the aim of spending no money at all. The contestant with the best eco-dress would win "Miss Eco". Unfortunately, i didn't win that round... 

My sewing skills were composed of "running stitch" and ... well that was it! I didn't have a sewing machine and i had terribly shaky hands when threading the needle. I had about as much patience as a toddler in their "terrible-twos" and found myself getting incredibly frustrated. 
At one point i just lay in a pile of plastic bags and newspaper hoping ideas would just come to me.
I think i attempted 4 or 5 different dresses, all of which fell apart when i put it on.
Finally, 2 days before the pageant i managed to create a dress out of an old skirt, bin bags and a large number of Tesco bags. And it didn't look half bad for a last minute rushed project!

We also had to raise money for Beauty with a Purpose, a charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children across the world. I held a bake sale for the staff at my work placement, walked 15 miles along the river Thames and held a Karaoke night for friends at a bar in London! Overall i managed to raise over £300!

On the day of the pageant we all had to arrive at 10 am to start rehearsals. 
We learnt a number or routines as well as how to "walk" and present ourselves. It was all good fun and all my nerves of falling flat on my face disappeared through out the day. I made so many good friends who i still keep in contact with. It was such a lovely atmosphere, talking and laughing, eating pizza while getting our hair done.

By 8 pm the doors opened and friends and family started to pile in. It was a full house. My nerves rocketed sky high as i stepped out onto the stage for the first time, all dolled up in my sparkly dress. But the girls were so supportive. we all encouraged each other, which was strange as i expected some competitiveness! We didn't see each other as competition, it was all so friendly and thoroughly enjoyable!! 

After we had all worked the runway in our red dresses and eco-wear it was time to announce the top 15. My heart raced as one by one the lucky girls were announced. I was counting down the number of spots left in the top 15... 10 to go... 6 to go... 5 to go... "NUMBER 11 - GEMMA FENLON!".
I was through... i couldn't believe it! I walked, shocked, along the stage to join the rest of the girls. But it wasn't over yet. We were then each asked a question and we had to answer it to the best that we could. I was so nervous, but i managed to blag my way through, earning me a spot in the top 7 round! 
To get that far was really a shock and i couldn't believe that i had got that far. 
I didn't however progress to the top 3, where the beautiful Miss Monica Sandhu was crowned Miss Hertfordshire 2013, but i was still so happy that i had done so well!




The whole experience was amazing and i would recommend it to anyone.
It's not at all like those cliche beauty pageants -  they judge the girls on their confidence, their personalities, leadership and organisation skills. Finding a sponsor, raising money, organizing events and being creative and spontaneous all show that  you can rise to a challenge. Of course, some girls were more successful than others and there can only be one winner, but the experience of it and making friends is much more valuable than the tiara you'd win at the end... 

I'd definitely enter again. If you are contemplating whether or not to enter, i say go for it!! You have nothing to lose and it raises money  for a good cause while having a lot of fun.
And you get to wear a pretty dress!!

Congratulations to Kirsty Heslewood, the previous Miss Hertfordshire 2012 and current Miss North London 2013 for winning Miss England 2013!
Very proud to have a Herts girl representing England in Miss World and to say that I met and know her!

If you are interested in the Miss England pageant or would like to enter a 2014 heat please visit http://www.missengland.info/

Thanks for reading guys!!

Song of the day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPvuNsRccVw&NR=1&feature=endscreen
Treasure - Bruno Mars.

Love and Light,

Gem 
xxx