Queen Saturday brings you the newly crowned Atlantic queens, who were crowned late last month as the very first winners of the Miss Atlantic Beauty Pageant.
The director of Atlantic Romy, who has held several national titles herself, used to direct the successful pageant Miss Sensational UK, which was a charity pageant focused on raising funds for MIND UK, before changing to Atlantic Beauty which is a National contracted pageant, but still fundraises for MIND UK and raised an incredible 11,000 from this year’s sold out show alone! We spoke to the new queens about their wins, platforms and how it feels to have those sparkly crowns on their heads!
Junior Miss- Grace
Welcome to the youngest queen Grace! Tell us what you did in the lead up to the finals?
In the lead up to finals I worked as hard as I could practising my walks and especially practising interview as it was my first time to compete in interview. I also attended as many appearances as my Mum would take me to! My favourite appearance which I did was hold my own tombola to raise money for Mind.
Yes I remember a lot of us queens won (not me as I’m awful at them!), and now all the hard work has paid off as you now have your crown! How did it feel in that moment?
I couldn't believe it! I really wanted to be the first ever Miss Junior Atlantic and I was so happy that my dream came true!
What do you have planned for your year?
I really want to make the most of being a queen and be a good example for the next winner. I want to have a charity garden party this summer and invite all of my friends so they can see what being a pageant girl is all about! I also want to go and watch as many pageants as I can and cheer on all my friends.
It also helps that you have a pageant coach as fabulous as Ruth who will be there at appearances with her new queens! Now Atlantic fundraises for MIND, is this a charity you would like to support for your year?
I really enjoyed raising money for Mind as part of Atlantic and would like to carry on with this charity. I am only 10 but I love being a pageant girl, because it encourages you to think about others before yourself.
Lastly, do you have any advice for girls to follow in your footsteps?
Definitely enter Atlantic! It is such a fun pageant to be a part of, plus the crown is super sparkly and special!
Teen- Daisy
Welcome to Sparkles and Rhinestones Daisy! Can you tell us what you did in the lead up to the finals?
What did I do in the lead up to the pageant, well a lot! Of course I carried out various charity events and attended many events, my favourite being the Fashion show in aid of Teens in Crisis! I paid a visit to my dress sponsor ‘The Dressing Room Stroud’ to pick out my beautiful evening wear! I got all my pampering done by the Beauty Spot and Ho & Co hairdressers! It’s safe to say there was a lot of preparation but totally worth it!!
Preparation is always Key! So you had your crowning moment and your name was called, how did that feel?
I was not expecting it at all, I was even shocked when I won my three side awards, which were, Best in Evening,Interview and Natural Beauty.Then to make Top Three then Top Two, I was overwhelmed! I was so lucky to share my crowning moment with my girl Meg, when my name was called I couldn’t believe it and was in shock, I still am!
It’s always nice to share that moment with your sister queens! Now that the crown is staying and it’s sinked in that you are the winner, what do you have planned for this year?
I have so much planned,I can’t wait for this upcoming year! I have so much in mind, I have already set up a date to go into my local drama and give the girls a talk all about self confidence! I also have a lot more in store so keep a watch on my Facebook page girls! We’ve already had our amazing dinner at the Ritz with my sister queens as part of our prize and I can’t wait for our Charlotte Clemie shoot!
In the lead up to the finals you supported MIND UK, is this your chosen charity or platform for the year?
My platform is definitely mental health especially amongst teens, Teens in Crisis and MIND are two main charity’s I will be fundraising for. I believe what they stand for and the work they do is incredible, I can’t wait to help them out!
Finally, what advice could you give to those looking to enter pageants?
Be yourself, do not feel like because you haven’t done loads of appearances or have the most expensive dress or haven’t raised the most money that you can’t win, it’s absolutely not true. I spent as little as I could on my outfits, managed my appearances and also did the workshop that Romy held for us, and took the crown! Work within your means. Do what you can as a finalist, be yourself,be confident but not cocky and enjoy your year as a finalist,it goes so quickly!!
Miss- Nicole
Welcome Nicole! So how did you prepare for the finals as you had a while with the sash?
I became a finalist in February 2019 and have ventured into many different things in the lead up to the finals! Throughout the past year I have seemed to develop a love for active challenges to raise money for charity such as supporting Mind's twenty-seven campaign by running 27km in March 2019,Miles for Mind by running 50 miles in May 2019, completing both the Midlands Tough Mudder 5k 2019 and Classic North West and even squeezing in an 160ft Bungee Jump! At the start of the year I would have never imagined this being possible, especially the marathon (I was a complete non-runner!), but every bit of work was super worth it as I raised nearly £1300 for Mind during the year!
Alongside the active challenges, I've attended and supported several events in different areas of the country which have been super fun, such as a Barn Dance for Parkinson's, Swindon Pride, Birmingham Filipino Festival and more! I have also put many hours into my preparation with the guidance of the fabulous Grace Levy (Reignmakers London School of Pageantry) and spent a lot of time in the studio practicing my walks. Building a better self and working on self-development has been a huge deal for me too. I've really tried to build positive habits and make sure I look after myself in terms of my own physical and mental health.
Making sure you are in the right frame of mind physically and mentally for a pageant final is very important. So January comes and you are holding hands with your first runner up, how did having your name called as the winner feel?
It was a bit surreal to be honest!! But amazing! I felt incredibly grateful and simply elated!
What plans do you have for the rest of the year?
In terms of active challenges, I've just finished participating in RED January and getting active every day of January for Mind, in a characteristically tough month. My next big goal will be climbing Mount Snowdon at night in May, so a bit of a different challenge for me!
One of my main focuses is to use my title to grow my One Small Step platform, grow it's audience and get as many people involved as possible. I'm planning some more initiatives during key awareness days such as Mental Health Awareness Week and World Mental Health Day. For me it's about giving people the confidence to say "I struggle too". In addition to these I have a couple of ideas which are currently coming into fruition, one I've been working on since Christmas being revealed next month, and the other in the near future, so watch this space! I would also love to continue supporting events and causes so please do get in touch!
You’ve talked about your platform and fundraising for MIND, can you tell us a bit more?
2 years ago I started fundraising for Mind, and I also launched my #NotOKButThatsOK campaign to share experiences and stories of us who have been affected my mental health. Since then I've brought my other ideas to life along side it, fuelled by my own experiences and sharing others. To bring them all together in one place, I created One Small Step, an overarching name for the collection of campaigns and initiatives to increase the conversation and exposure around mental illness:
#NotOKButThatsOK:Primarily based on social contact theory, aims to reduce prejudice and stigma by exposure of those with lived experience and sharing their stories, especially with those without lived experience. For me and I'm sure for many others too, hearing other people's experiences can help us to feel less alone and also become more confident in sharing our own stories.
#BehindMySmilecampaign:Highlights the physical symptoms of mental illnesses that may be overlooked, and aims to promote better understanding of how it doesn't just affect us psychologically. Our brain is an organ after all!
Move for Mind:An inclusive 7-day active challenge during Mental Health Awareness Week which aims to encourage at least 1 physical activity each day, no matter how small. Less overwhelming than 30 day challenges, celebrates the small wins, and is one small step each day towards better wellbeing!
I would love for people to get in touch, if you would like to share your story, your blogs, videos, or even a post you've seen that's touched you, and together we can take bigger steps towards better mental health.
Lastly, any advice for new queens looking to join the pageant world?
I've definitely been on a journey with regards to self-confidence and this year for the first time I felt truly self-accepting of myself, so I would say take time to get know who you really are and embrace it! What are your passions? What lights your soul on fire? Find what you love and run with it! Knowing yourself makes it easier to be yourself.
Positive affirmations worked wonders for me too! I put some as my phone wallpaper for a daily reminder.
I would also definitely recommend pageant coaching if it's feasible, or at least practice practice practice! Practicing in the studio definitely helped me to think less about what to do when walking and just enjoy the moment on stage.And most importantly of all, enjoy it!! I loved that we all had fun together as finalists and is a great part of what pageantry is about!
Mrs- Natasha
Welcome Nish! First of all, Welcome to the pageant mumma club! So tell us how you prepared for the finals, especially as a new mum.
I really enjoy the lead up to the finals more than anything! I absolutely love appearances, going out into the community and trying to make a difference, in particular with my own goals of cultural understanding and supporting diversity and acceptance which tied perfectly into MIND and mental health. I love seeing how much money I can raise for charity, putting my portfolio together and of course getting all my outfits together! As a new mum I didn’t have much money for outfits this year, so I was really making things my own and it wasn’t until the actual final, that I finally put everything together, I actually stopped at service stations on the way up to reading to sew the hem up on my interview dress which was handmade 60 years ago by my greatgrandma who was a dress maker.
Last minute but it worked! Tell us how it felt in that winning moment?
Honestly I was in shock, I’m not sure it fully hit me until I got home! I felt so overwhelmed with all emotions! All the girls were all so good I just couldn’t believe my name had been called, I honestly couldn’t believe it was real!!
I hope it has all sunk in! What plans do you have with the title for the rest of the year?
I have so much planed already for the year in relation to mental health work and diversity, I’ve got loads of workshops and events I have been invited to already, alongside going into schools and working with my local MIND. I also have some confidence building workshops with young people planned alongside local community events. I’m so exited for the year and aim to make the absolute most of my time as Mrs Atlantic 20/21.
It’s amazing to fundraise for a great charity, can you tell us about your own platform?
So I was shortlisted for the National Diversity Awards 2019 our of 28,000 people to the final 8 for positive role model for race faith and religion, this is my personal passion. I use my skills as a dancer to run Bollywood and cultural workshops in my spare time, which I want to grow and develop further this year, I tend to raise money for various charities, I like to pick different charities to support, and will continue to do this, however MIND is a fantastic charity and having my MPsych advance psychology hons I do plan to continue supporting MIND mental health can effect anyone and I’m sure one way or another everyone will be somehow effected my mental health whether it be themselves or a friend or family member suffering, there’s still more stigma that needs to be removed especially with male mental health and I want to see what I can do this year to make a difference
What advice could you give to queens looking to enter?
My biggest advice I’d your thinking about entering is do it!!! But I also think it’s important for people to be themselves, also to believe in themselves and most importantly to have fun!
Ms- Stacy
Congratulations and welcome back! We all know you are an active queen who was meant to “retire”, what did you do on the lead up to the finals?
After competing at internationals, I was set to retire but of course with the support of my family and my daughter, I decided to try out for one more final and I loved what Atlantic stood for. I took my sash to charity events, judging and supporting other pageant queens in their finals. As well as this, I have been supporting my daughter, Tina, who is competing this month at the Miss GB finals.
Amazing! Now we all saw the reaction, how did it feel to be called as the winner?
Well you could all see! I was so happy and can’t wait to represent Atlantic and show off this crown as much as possible! It was also amazing to have so much support in the crowd so I thank you all!
What plans do you have for the year?
I want to continue to promote body positivity and fund raise for as many charities as I can. I enjoy fundraising for Caudwell Children's Charity as they do so much for children with disabilities. I also fundraise for Cancer Research UK, as I have lost friends and family to cancer,as well as Bullies Out, due to experiencing it with my daughter and what she went through. I have a lot of exciting plans coming up and events to attend, and want to make sure I can attend as many events as I can fit in my diary, whilst enjoying my family time. I’m also holding my own pageant on the 28th, raising funds for some amazing charities.
Some amazing charities there! Can you tell us about your platform?
My platform is THIS IS ME, embracing who you are and loving your body. I believe everyone is unique in their own way and should embrace what makes you, you. Everyone believes you have to be tall, skinny, a certain height, no children, etc to enter pageants when the answer is NO! I am living proof you can achieve everything whilst staying true to yourself.
Finally, what advice could you give to others looking to enter pageant land?
To never give up, when life throws you lemons make lemonade. Its not how we fall but how gracefully we get up and continue.There is something out there for everyone. Believe in yourself and go after your dream, cause if you can inspire one person to do the same, just imagine if that person inspires someone too.
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