It's every little girl's dream to go to Disney Land, and for Leah that dream came true in July 2017 when she was crowned Junior Face of Northern Ireland, which means she will not only be going to the land of dreams, but competing in an international pageant! We spoke to Leah's mum and little Leah on her pageant journey leading up to the finals in November.
"Leah has been doing pageants since she was 4 years old and she was hooked from the very first one. Leah was a very shy little girl before she started doing pageants, and the change in her has been amazing. She is so confident now and just comes alive when she's on stage. She loves the run up to pageants as much as the day itself as she gets to meet lots of new people through her appearances and fundraising. Both myself and Leah's dad are so proud of what she has achieved, especially how dedicated she is to fundraising and the effort she puts in to doing this. She is constantly coming up with new ideas and is so enthusiastic about it, she's even had me doing a zipline challenge for her, even though I'm scared of heights, which she found very funny.
Some people seem to have a bad misconception about pageants and a negative view on them , it really isn't like that at all, I personally have met some amazing people through pageants and made some great lifelong friends, as has Leah. I am really looking forward to joining her in Disneyland for the upcoming final, she has so much support behind her, and she is so excited! She has always said she wants to represent her country so she is fulfilling a dream, which is lovely. The whole face of Northern Ireland team are fantastic so I'm sure it will be a very fun trip.
Leah and her sister Queens
Leah:
What was the lead up to the finals like? What did you do?:In the run up to the face of northern ireland final, I done a lot of charity work. I ran some raffles and me and my mummy organised a charity zipline, that mummy also took part in, it was really fun! I also made some appearances at different events and brought my finalist sash with me when I went on holiday in the summer. I also loved getting to pick my dresses.
How did it feel to win? I was so excited when I won, and I cried when they called my name. I love pageants and it has always been my dream to represent my country, and the face of northern Ireland has given me the chance to do that. I cant wait to go to disneyland for the face of europe and the world final, I love anything disney and im really excited to be able to go with the other face of northern ireland girls as we always have fun together.
What charity are you fundraising for? I am fundraising for headway east kent, they are a charity that helps people who have suffered brain injuries. They are the official charity for face of europe and the world. I am enjoying fundraising for them, as they are a great charity, that rely on donations to run. I have lots planned before the finals in November. I have already done a bag pack at the supermarket and at Christmas I made sweet comes to sell. We are doing another zipline this weekend, and a sponsored walk in the summer. The whole Face of Northern Ireland team
also organised our own charity pageant in April called Miss Northern Irish Beauty, we really enjoyed organising it and all the money raised is going to charity.
What advice would you give to other girls looking to get into pageants? Just be yourself and have fun. Pageants are so much fun, I really love them. I have met some of my best friends through pageants, and everyone is very supportive.
We wish all the best to Leah and Team N Ireland in November!!
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