Miss Lincolnshire winner to be announced this weekend

It is 40 years since the first Miss Lincolnshire competition was held, and it has been organised by former DJ ‘Phil Green’, who hosted the 1981 final at the Lincolnshire show ground.

One of the judges for the contest is Angie Beasley (née Chapman), the winner of Miss Lincolnshire Home & Leisure in 1981, who was born in Grimsby and is now the director of Miss England.

Angie said: “The contest has changed a lot since I won 40 years ago... all I did was turn up at the contest with a swimsuit and a pair of stilettos in a vanity case! I won £25 and I was so proud as it was the first contest I won aged just 17!

“As Phil announced the contestants we paraded in swimwear on the stage and it was held in the middle of the Lincolnshire Home & Leisure exhibition in front of an audience attending the Lincolnshire show ground.

“For Miss England we don’t parade the contestants in swimwear anymore. Nowadays we encourage contestants to raise funds for ‘Beauty With a Purpose’ and/or show off their talent as part of the contest - proving they are much more than just a pretty face.”

Fast forward to 2021, and the finalists have each submitted homemade videos of themselves talking to the camera and doing a catwalk, all filmed on their mobile phones. They have also been campaigning for votes on social media and through the Miss England app, and some have managed to raise funds for charity.

The whole contest will be held online with the judges and contestants meeting on Zoom on Saturday (February 20) at 12.30pm.

Phil said: “We were hoping to hold the final as a glamorous live event at the Hilton in Lincoln, but due to the coronavirus pandemic the whole thing was postponed twice! But the show must go on. The winner will be announced on social media on Saturday who will received a special delivery from ‘Flowers By Simone’ of Lincoln, the winning tiara, and the Miss Lincolnshire sash!

This year’s judges include the current Miss Lincolnshire Ella Grace Bailey, Nicola Willoughby (Miss UK 1999). and the reigning Miss England NHS Doctor Bhasha Mukherjee, who started work at the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston within hours of winning the Miss England title in August 2019.

Nicola is currently a Health Care Assistant dealing with Covid and post-Covid patients and respiratory-related illnesses in Lincolnshire.

She said: “I am looking forward to judging, I can now see from the other side of the competition. I want to put the girls at ease and tell them to enjoy it!

“It’s definitely changed since I entered. The values are the same - Beauty With A Purpose - but it’s certainly more in keeping with the times.

“The modelling and pageant world is very competitive, and it’s about finding your own and owning it.”

• Visit https://www.missengland.info/qualifiers/lincolnshire-2/ to find more information about the contestants in this year’s final.