Beauty and Brilliance: Northamptonshire sends two to UK’s National Miss Finals

Beth Willett-Byrne, UK’s National Ms Northampton; and Gemma Young UK’s National Ms Northamptonshire will be competing for the Crown in the annual UK’s National Miss Pageant Finals held in Lancashire every summer. And for those of you who still hold outdated views on pageants, Modern Pageantry is about creating spaces for women to step into their spotlight and raise their voices. It offers a platform which enables women to promote causes close to their heart; and the Crown isn’t just about “beauty” – it is about the women who other women would be proud to have represent them. Every year the UK’s National Miss Pageant attracts around 50 women across 5 age divisions – Junior, Teen, Miss, Ms and Classic Ms with 5 crowns along with other awards (including the colloquially named “Sandra Bullock Award” of Miss Congeniality); and it is a pageant which cares about women supporting and championing other women.

Ms Northampton, Beth, a devoted mum of two and supportive partner is also studying for her accountancy exams, and wanted to balance the demands of family life with personal ambition. She said “Entering the pageant is a deeply personal step as having battled with insecurity and self-consciousness for much of my life, I see this experience as a way to challenge myself, build confidence, and step outside my comfort zone. Wearing the sash as a finalist is more than just symbolic – it’s a reminder that every woman deserves to feel seen, heard and proud of who she is.”

Gemma, Ms Northamptonshire is a special needs teacher who finds joy in music and performance participating in community events including choir and amateur dramatics and following a health-diagnosis recently lost a transformative 90 pounds reclaiming her health through fitness and determination – managing her condition without medication! She said “My decision to enter the pageant is deeply personal – it is an opportunity to invest in myself, grow in confidence and celebrate how far I have come. Most importantly I hope to show my daughters that true beauty isn’t just about appearance, but about strength, kindness and being unapologetically yourself.”

Both Finalists are part of the CLICK Arts Foundation Burlesque Squad, and raise money through wellbeing and confidence building events which in turn go to supporting grassroots arts projects which promote inclusivity and accessibility to the arts. Northamptonshire projects CLICK has funded include LOL Theatre’s Rita Ranger Summer Show; Drumming Workshops by the United African Association Dancing Drums; as well as Northamptonshire Film Festival’s Creative Place.

CLICK’s founder Dr Audrey Tang represented Buckinghamshire in 2025 in the Classic Ms division in July this year placing 1st runner up and winning the “Confidence Queen” award. She said “UK’s National Miss creates a genuinely warm and supportive environment to build self-confidence and discover your inner light which might have been dimmed over the years. In a pageant you can’t hide behind previous experience or titles – you need to show up and let yourself shine. Both Beth and Gemma are wonderful examples of beauty inside and out – they are kind, enthusiastic, and bring such positive energy to any room, I’m so excited to see them step onto the pageant stage and show the UK just how all-round incredible our Roses of Northampton and Northamptonshire are!”

Beth will be using her platform to “…encourage women – especially mothers – to know their worth, speak up and know they are enough just as they are.”; and Gemma will be “…raising greater awareness for Coeliac disease – inspired by my youngest daughter’s diagnosis four years ago”.

Both Beth and Gemma will be performing at events with CLICK Arts Foundation including the Age of Love Event – championing sexual wellbeing across the lifespan held 2-4pm at the Elgar Centre on Saturday September 13th; and with The Northampton Film Festival in The Market Square at 3.30pm on September 20th; and both will be part of CLICK’s Christmas Charity Single later this year.

Meanwhile if you would like Beth: Ms Northampton; Gemma Ms Northamptonshire; or Audrey UK’s Nation Miss Confidence Queen to support any of your events, please email [email protected]

For more about CLICK Arts Foundation: www.clickartsfoundation.org.uk

For more about the UK’s National Miss Pageant: https://uksnationalmiss.com/