At the beginning of this month, I was lucky enough to be chosen as Miss Cambridgeshire. I went from ward rounds in the hospital and studying pathology to interviews with reporters and attention from the national media.
There is a question I have been asked on several occasions: why did I enter a Miss England competition, from a background as a student doctor at Cambridge University?

Firstly, I’d like to dispel a common myth about Miss England, which is that it is just a beauty pageant or a modelling competition, which judges on looks alone. The Miss England competition is much more: it judges the whole person. The Miss England competition began in 1928, when Nonni Sheilds took the title. Since 1955, the winner has gone on to compete at Miss World, with Miss England 1964 Brenda Blacker still holding the record for the best placement, finishing as first runner up.

The contest has developed over the years and today involves so much more than merely presenting your outer beauty. A Miss also has to be beautiful on the inside – she must be charitable, eco-friendly, talented, and sporty.
These are indeed fundamental elements that girls are judged on for the Miss England competition, and I should add, for the Mr England competition as well. Only a girl who is well rounded can win the title and become a truly beautiful ambassador for the country.

Intelligence and beauty work hand in hand. Miss England has been attracting girls from a variety of backgrounds over many years. As an example, this year so far we have had girls entering regional finals whose careers range from accountants to student policewomen, from a council surveyor to a church preacher.

I do not see my participation as a student doctor as surprising or think that competing is demeaning to women; actually it’s empowering. I believe in women’s rights and that women are equal to men, and that a woman should have the right to participate in a beauty competition if she wishes to do so.

I want to demonstrate that competing in Miss England is not all about physical attributes and that people should be appreciated based on their overall personality. I would like to show that “beauty and brains” should and can work together for the greater good.

Being beautiful is about more than just external appearances. Being beautiful comprises a multitude of facets. The most beautiful people I know are beautiful because they have a kind and caring heart, and loving personality.

Since a young age, I have wanted to make a difference to the lives of those who suffer every day and people who are stricken by poverty and disease simply because of where they live or their unfortunate circumstances. This is why I have begun medical training and aspire to go into global and public health.

By making the most of the platform that Miss England brings, I would like to emphasize the importance of inner beauty in the fashion and beauty industries, and highlight that the Miss England and Miss World competitions are not as they are sometimes perceived.

Beauty can do much for charitable causes. Beauty is naturally in the public eye and charity depends on the support of the public, and I therefore believe that beauty has an important role in fundraising and supporting those in need. The Miss World charity “Beauty with a Purpose” is at the heart of the Miss England and Miss World competitions. It is a charity for disadvantaged children around the world, which includes work within the UK.

Over the last three years alone, Miss England has raised over £500,000 for children, with funds being spent here in the UK. As a ‘Miss’ I hope to use my title to help people in a new way along side my role as a doctor, through fundraising, helping in both the local community and abroad, as well as being a good ambassador.

Indeed, so important is the charity aspect of the competition, that part of the judging process looks at the amount each contestant has raised. I would like to encourage you to make a donation. In doing so, you are supporting disadvantaged children around the world, as well as supporting me in the Miss England competition.

On 16 June 2014, I am running for Miss England at the national final in Torquay. I want to help people in need in a new way, by combining studying to become a doctor with the fundraising and community work opportunities that being a ‘Miss’ brings. I would also like to develop the image of beauty, which covers many different important elements – much more than external appearances.