Miss Great Britain
Miss Great Britain is a female beauty contest. Miss Great Britain 2013 was organised by the new national director Kate Solomons, director of Leicester-based model & event agency ModelZed Promotions Ltd. Kate became the national director in November 2012 & has worked within the model industry for 10years.,
One of Kate's first duties in her new role was to change the rules of the contest to allow both married women and mothers to enter the contest; this ruling had been revised in 2010 but had reverted under previous management. These rules currently stand for the 2014 contest.
First held in 1945, between 1956 and 1989, Miss Great Britain was held in the seaside resort of Morecambe. It is one of the oldest of its kind in the country.
Between 1951 and 1957, the winner of the Miss Great Britain crown would go on to compete at the Miss World pageant. This ended in 1958 when Miss World creator Eric Morley, unhappy at the results of the Miss Great Britain winners at Miss World[1] ( all seven Miss GB winners that went to Miss World were unplaced ) set up his own domestic contest, the Miss United Kingdom pageant. From 1958 to the end of the 20th century, the winner of Miss UK would compete at Miss World.
in 1996 John Singh a business man from Mansfield England registered the name "Miss Great Britain" after the title hadn't been patented since 1989 and starting running the contest initially for Miss Universe for three years. After Miss Universe arranged for a new director - John Singh then had numerous organisers for Miss Great Britain and created his own international contest - a Miss Tourism contest.
Great Britain is now used by Miss Universe and John Singhs Miss Tourism but are held as two separate contests and different organisers - Miss Universe Great Britain qualifies for the international Miss Universe contest - Miss Great Britain goes through to Miss Tourism .
Some of the international pageants which had been represented by Miss Great Britain were Miss Universe, Miss World, Top Model of the World and Miss Tourism World. The contest has attracted British fashion models such as Harriadnie Beau.[2]
As opposed to its British counterparts such as Miss England, Miss Northern Ireland, Miss Scotland, Miss Wales, Miss United Kingdom and Miss Universe Great Britain Miss Great Britain is not affiliated with the Miss World Organisation.
In 2010, the rules of Miss Great Britain were changed to allow divorced women and single mothers to compete for the first time but shortly reverted; Rachel Hatton was the first divorced woman to compete.[3]
2006 event
The 2006 title holder was Preeti Desai who hailed from Cleveland. Desai made history when she became the first ever winner of Indian ethnicity when she replaced the dethroned Danielle Lloyd. Lloyd had lost the crown after stirring up scandals for posing nude for Playboy magazine and dating one of the judges during her participation in the pageant.[4] Danielle Lloyd has been re-instated into the Wall of Fame/ Previous winners as of 11 January 2010.
2007 event
Rachael Tennent, a project co-ordinator, was awarded the crown of Miss Great Britain. Along with the crown, the new titleholder also bagged a car, jewellery and a modelling contract. Tennent had previously competed for the Miss Scotland 2006 title which she placed 2nd runner-up. The event was held in Grosvenor House in Park Lane, London.
Tennent did not complete her reign which resulted in Gemma Garrett (who was the 1st runner up in 2007) taking over the title of Miss Great Britain for the rest of the year.[5]
2008 event
The 2008 event did not take place due to financial difficulties as a result of the global financial crisis.[6]
2009 event
The event took place on 12 May 2009 at the Café de Paris in Central London. Following the previous years non-event, a strong PR campaign orchestrated by the show's executive producer Jade Reuben, helped to re-introduce the event to the nation, with some 70,000 online entrants being whittled down through national heats to the final 12 girls. Heavily covered by the media, the eventual winner was Miss Newcastle - Sophie Gradon, 23.[7] She will not go to Miss Universe as reported by the press; please see above. That girl is Clair Cooper, who won the Miss Universe GB crown.
Title holders
| 2015 | Zara Holland |
| 2014 | Shelby Tribble |
| 2013 | Ashley Powell |
| 2012 | No Contest but Charlotte Perkins was selected to represent GB in Miss Tourism World |
| 2011 | No contest |
| 2010 | Amy Carrier[8] |
| 2009 | Sophie Gradon |
| 2008 | No contest |
| 2007 | Rachael Tennent (resigned) Gemma Garrett |
| 2006 | Danielle Lloyd (resigned) Preeti Desai |
| 2005 | No contest |
| 2004 | Emma Spellar |
| 2003 | Nicki Lane |
| 2002 | Yana Booth |
| 2001 | Michelle Evans |
| 2000 | Michelle Walker |
| 1999 | Cherie Pisani |
| 1998 | Leilani Dowding |
| 1997 | Liz Fuller |
| 1996 | Anita St Rose |
| 1994 | Sarah Southwick |
| 1993 - 1990 | No contest |
| 1989 | Amanda Dyson |
| 1988 | Gillian Bell |
| 1987 | Linzi Butler |
| 1986 | Lesley Ann Musgrave |
| 1985 | Jill Saxby |
| 1984 | Debbie Greenwood |
| 1983 | Rose McGrory |
| 1982 | Tracy Dodds (resigned) Viviennne Farnen (replacement) |
| 1981 | Michelle Hobson |
| 1980 | Sue Berger |
| 1979 | No contest |
| 1978 | Patricia Morgan |
| 1977 | Susan Hempel |
| 1976 | Dinah May |
| 1975 | Susan Cuff |
| 1974 | Marilyn Ward |
| 1973 | Gay Spink |
| 1972 | Elizabeth Robinson |
| 1971 | Carolyn Moore |
| 1970 | Kathleen Winstanley |
| 1969 | Wendy Anne George |
| 1968 | Yvonne Ormes |
| 1967 | Jennifer Gurley |
| 1966 | Carole Fletcher |
| 1965 | Diane Hickinbotham |
| 1964 | Carole Redhead |
| 1963 | Gillian Taylor |
| 1962 | Joy Black |
| 1961 | Libby Walker |
| 1960 | Eileen Sheridan |
| 1959 | Valerie Martin |
| 1958 | Christine Mayo |
| 1957 | Leila Williams |
| 1956 | Iris Waller |
| 1955 | Jennifer Chimes |
| 1954 | Patricia Butler |
| 1953 | Brenda Mee |
| 1952 | Dorothy Dawn |
| 1951 | Marlene Dee |
| 1950 | Violet Pretty |
| 1949 | Elaine Pryce |
| 1948 | Pamela Bayliss |
| 1947 | June Mitchell |
| 1946 | June Rivers |
| 1945 | Lydia Read |
Archives
Archives of Miss Great Britain are held at The Women's Library at the Library of the London School of Economics, ref 5MGB
References
- ^ http://www.pageantopolis.com/nat_past/UK.htm
- ^ Tom Jackson, December 23, 2010, Cambs Times, Fashion designer who has worked with Cheryl Cole backs Fenland teenager’s Miss Great Britain bid, Accessed June 27, 2014, "..Harriadnie Beau Phipps will enter Miss Great Britain next year with the support of HMH Couture, ..."
- ^ http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/conversation/archive/2010/04/13/miss-great-britain-lifts-divorce-ban.htm
- ^ "Playboy pictures". toxicmagazine.com. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
- ^ http://www.miss-gb.co.uk/newsitem.asp?newsID=48 Miss Great Britain
- ^ Boffey, Daniel (17 January 2009). "Credit crunch claims its latest victim... the Miss Great Britain contest". Daily Mail. London.
- ^ http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2008/05/09/winner-of-miss-newcastle-2008-revealed-72703-20886043/
- ^ "Amy Carrier Crowned Miss Great Britain 2010".
www.missgreatbritain.co.uk