Miss Great Britain to host first ever Belfast heat to find next pageant success

Have you got what it takes to represent Northern Ireland on one of the most prestigious pageant stages in the UK?

For the first time, Miss Great Britain will be holding a live heat in Belfast to discover local beauties interested in competing for the crown.

In 2021, Belfast beauty Eden McAllister became the latest Miss GB success from Northern Ireland, taking the top spot after being named Miss Belfast.

Read more: NI student on battling the misconceptions about modern pageantry

Read more: Search for new Miss Northern Ireland begins as 2024 applications open

Lizzy Doherty, director of Miss Great Britain Belfast, is excited to be putting on the first live heat at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast on June 9, 2024 and hopefully find the next pageant winner.

Lizzy told Belfast Live that she hopes to further Northern Irish representation on the UK pageant scene in Miss Great Britain's 79th year.

She said: "I remember watching Miss Great Britain as a little girl growing up on the TV and when my daughter competed within the system, I realised how underrepresented girls from NI are on a national stage.

"So, to be given the opportunity to become the first director of Miss Great Britain Belfast was a dream come true and one I jumped at.

"NI is a very small country and to represent our capital city of Belfast is a fantastic opportunity as it opens it up to so many girls in NI being able to apply."

The longest-running pageant in Britain, this year's the final will be held in Leicester in October and is run by National Directors Saffron Hart and Matt Elliott.

Lizzy continued: "Miss Great Britain is an all-inclusive pageant system, allowing mothers and married women to apply no matter their background.

"They embrace women of all shapes and sizes, empowering them to be the best version of themselves - for these reasons, I think Miss Great Britain has moved with the times and was one of the first pageant systems to do so, showing women from all walks of life that they are worthy of a crown."

Only four women from Northern Ireland have been crowned Miss Great Britain in its seven-decade history and Lizzy hopes that by holding a live heat in Belfast, next year will make it five.

"We have an amazing line-up of judges including the legend that is Miss Great Britain head judge Sally-Ann Fawcett and the current Miss Great Britain Madeleine Roche to name just a couple," she added.

"The finalists will compete live on stage in three rounds, fashion wear, swimwear and evening wear.

"Gemma Garrett, former Miss Great Britain, will be hosting the first-ever live heat and Chris Suitor will be providing the live music on the night – it’s a night not to be missed."

Entries are currently still open for Miss Great Britain Belfast and you can apply via email to request an application form at missgreatbritainbelfast@gmail.com or contact via social media.

Lizzy said: "To anyone thinking of applying, just do it! It will be the best decision, even if this is your first ever pageant and you’ve never competed before we will work together to get you ‘stage ready’.

"To any girls thinking about it, you will gain so much from this experience - it is a great system to be a part of and as cliché as it sounds, it is one big family.

"The girls uplift and empower one another, you will grow in confidence, and self-esteem and make friendships for life."

Lizzy added that her goal as Miss Great Britain Belfast director is to introduce more girls here in NI to pageants and the positive benefits that they bring.

"Right now, we don’t have a very big pageant community here compared to the rest of the UK and I want to see girls in NI competing nationally and to be able to give them that platform here is a dream come true."

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