Beauty pageants can be regarded with suspicion in the modern age, especially with regards to whether they promote old-fashioned perspectives of women.
But contestants at Miss Manchester and Miss Greater Manchester 2020 have cited the experience amongst their proudest ever moments.
Many participants (including the likes of Manchester’s own Akisha Jade) recognise the contests as offering routes to self-confidence – as they aim to inspire, motivate and empower other women to be themselves and become involved in community projects.
One of the 2020 finalists for the Miss Greater Manchester competition, Esme Holliday, has spoken out about how the pageant has given her an opportunity to truly “make a difference.”
Esme Holliday
The 19-year-old is currently a student at the University of Salford studying TV and Radio production, and is originally from the Lake District.
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Speaking to The Manc, Esme explained why entering this pageant was so important to her, whilst illustrating some of the ways these types of competitions have transformed in the current climate.
“It is so much more than just a pretty face nowadays,” Esme tells us.
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“Cheryl Broadfoot [the host] wants to change the face of pageants and make sure that it is not just whoever looks the prettiest, you need to work hard and be dedicated to actually making a difference in the world”
Each contestant must find their own sponsor at the contest – which is advertised on their individual sashes.
Esme chose ‘A Skye Full of Stars’ – a charity set up in memory of her close friend Skye Mitchell who sadly died in a fatal car accident in 2017.
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Skye had been in many beauty pageants, even becoming Miss Junior North West, and her and Esme had always planned to take part in a contest together.
Elle for Elle works to support female refuges who have escaped from domestic abuse in the UK and globally, with finalists collecting toiletries and essential items to help those fleeing from their homes.
The girls have also raised over £11,000 for One Woman At A Time, an organisation that works with women in Kenya, India and the UK who are at risk of forced marriage, Female Genital Mutilation and domestic abuse. The money raised has already gone towards providing a new water tank and brighter lighting at a refuge in Kenya.
As well as raising money for charity, the contestants also compete in rounds. So far, there has been a radiant smile round, one for sharing your story, and a talent section.
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Esme decided to stray away from the popular talents of singing or dancing and rekindled with her love of playing the trumpet for her talent entry. Other girls did some acting, dress-making and even balloon modelling!
Upcoming stages include a sustainability round (which involves creating an outfit from recyclable materials) and then the public vote.
If she wins, Esme says she would like to carry on the work of previous Miss Manchester champion Suzy Bamgose – who dedicated herself to working against homelessness in Manchester.
Esme is also keen to raise awareness of logging off from social media and highlighting the dangers of comparing yourself to a stranger on Instagram.
Alongside the Miss Greater Manchester competition in 2020, there is Miss Cheshire, Miss Lancashire and Miss Manchester. A Mr Manchester was announced earlier this year.
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Winners can go on to compete for Miss England – and the last time a Mancunian was crowned champion was way back in 1965.
The finals take place in September, and whilst the organisers are keeping a close eye on developments given the current climate, the Miss Manchester community is keeping its fingers crossed that the awards ceremony won’t have to be a virtual one…
Beloved plant-based independent street food business Herbivorous is set to close imminently
Danny Jones
We hate writing this, but we have news of yet another local hospitality closure as beloved Manchester-born and pioneering plant-based brand Herbivorous has confirmed they’ll soon be calling it a day.
If you can hear us sighing through the screen, apologies – we’re just getting really fed up of saying farewell to our favourites, so god knows how rubbish those involved feel.
As you can see, the team behind the multi-location vegan street food specialists began by writing: “It’s a long one so stay with me… It seems you can’t open social media at the moment without reading about another hospitality business closing down.
“Throughout 8 years of Herbivorous years we’ve come up against many challenges from Covid 5 years ago to watching all the big vegan brands from London and beyond come to Manchester and largely disappear again to the closure of Hatch our busiest site, but with continually increasing costs its becoming really difficult to maintain a thriving business.”
Herbivorous started out life back in 2016 as a cult hit at the old outdoor food, drink and entertainment hub centring around a ‘container village’, the first of its kind in the city and soon to reopen under new owners and a new name.
Since then, co-founders Robyn and Damian have gone on to expand not just to one permanent site over in Withington but with outposts in Sheffield and York, having gained a strong reputation with stalls and pop-ups all over.
Their hospitality story might not have the ending we personally would hope for, but it’s been a brilliant one for so many foodie fans – us lot included.
Nevertheless, they go on to add in the emotional statement that external pressures such as a recent bereavement and their own ever-growing family have also contributed to the decision which, despite being an understandably hard one, “feel like the right time.”
“We are so incredibly proud of how far we’ve come from spending long days slinging duck wraps from our green vintage horse box at festivals to three Herbi locations across the North of England”, they continue, “and with that we’ve also met so many fantastic people!”
“Whether you worked for us at a few festivals over [the] summer or for years at our restaurant, we just wanted to say and massive thank you! The memories will stay with us forever and, of course, how can we not mention our fabulous customers!
“Thank you all so much for choosing Herbivorous over the years. Those of you who had our food at Festivals and then found us at one of our permanent locations, those of you who came back week after week to Hatch, Spark, Withington and beyond.”
They signed off by detailing their final business days, with their Sheffield Kommune spot having already shut for refurbishment; meanwhile, their spot in SPARK York will be wrapping up on Saturday, 19 April.
As for their flagship brick-and-mortar venue here in Greater Manchester, Herbivorous Withington will be shutting on Friday, 25 April.
Once again, there’s nothing we can say other than thank you for years of delicious food, that we’re guttted to see you go, and that everyone at The Manc Group wishes you the best whatever comes next.
AJ Tracey is playing a VERY intimate gig in Manchester next month
Thomas Melia
London rapper and respected grime artist AJ Tracey is ‘live and direct’ once again, announcing a whole host of UK dates, one of which is a rather intimate gig right here in Manchester.
It’s official: one of UK rap’s leading gents is getting back on the road and he’s showing a ‘Little More Love’ to lots of cities, including Manchester.
In a post on the UK star’s socials, AJ Tracey trades his music persona for that of a sports pundit as he announces the dates for his upcoming tour while impersonating an F1 commentator.
Anyone looking to attend Tracey’s ‘Not Even A Tour’ can catch the star up and down the country on his over 20-date tour with a stop in Manchester as soon as this month.
The rapper has reached phenomenal heights since dropping the unforgettable ‘Ladbroke Grove’ in 2019 and is heading out across the nation to make sure everyone knows about it.
Get ready to spit bars left and right as this rapper’s discography is stacked with serious tunes like ‘Dinner Guest’, ‘West Ten’, ‘Thiago Silva’ and more.
More recently, he collaborated with Walsall’s finest Jorja Smith for a flirty garage beat also known as ‘Crush’ with the video being the two artists talking it out in a good old fashioned caff.
The latest collaboration with Smith marks the start of a new era for Mr. Live and direct as it fell in line with the announcement of his third studio album.
Titled Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, we’re sure he’ll be “building a vibe” wherever he goes and probably previewing a few exclusive tracks from his upcoming project too.
This gig may come as quite a surprise for any hardcore fans of the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star as the venue in which he’s performing is definitely intimate only, holding just over 250 guests.
This rap giant is bringing his unbelievable beats to none other than the legendary small-cap city centre live music venue, The Deaf Institute, at the end of this month.
It’s safe to say you won’t get many more chances, if any, to see him in such a tight-knit space again.
AJ Tracey is bringing ‘Not Even A Tour’ to Deaf Institute in Manchester on 30 April, with tickets on sale Friday 4 April from 12 noon.
Jess Walmsley -
25th June 2020 
