A teenager who excels at school and in sport is now getting ready to compete in the final of a national beauty pageant.
Anna-Marie Uzokwe, who lives in Stevenage, has won through to the final of Miss Teen Galaxy England 2018 and will compete against other hopefuls in Lancashire on Saturday.
She will be flying the flag for North Hertfordshire, and the winner will not only receive a much-coveted sparkly crown, but will also be flown to Florida in July to compete in the Galaxy International Pageant.
Anna-Marie said: “The UK has enjoyed some amazing success at the Galaxy International Pageant and I hope to emulate that success.”
This is not the first time Anna-Marie has competed in a beauty contest. In 2015, when the John Henry Newman School pupil was 15, she competed in the Miss Junior Teen Great Britain final and was ranked in the top third of the 45 finalists.
She then took a break from beauty pageants to concentrate on her GCSEs – achieving 10 A*s and As – as well as sprint training.
Anna-Marie said: “Now I’m back. I’ve been so busy since last summer, making appearances and doing charitable fundraisers with my title of Miss Teen North Hertfordshire Galaxy 2017/18.”
She is raising money for The Christie charity, which supports The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester in a range of cancer projects and initiatives which focus on four main areas – research, care and treatment, education and extra patient services.
This year, the foundation trust will be home to one of only two high energy NHS proton beam therapy centres in the UK.
Proton beam therapy is an advanced form of radiotherapy used for the treatment of complex and hard-to-treat cancers in children and adults.
Anna-Marie said: “The centre has been designed to include a research room, so The Christie can use the proton beam not only to deliver life-saving treatment to patients, but to carry out ground-breaking research.
“I know exactly where the funds are going and my target is £1,000.”
Anna-Marie is raffling off a Watford FC signed shirt via www.facebook.com/watfordfcraffle.
To make a donation to the cause, visit www.justgiving.com/watfordfcraffle.
For more about The Christie, visit www.christie.nhs.uk.
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