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!
https://youtu.be/VvzVdIQIGC8
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…
Tram diversions and disruption on Market Street as improvement works are carried out
Emily Sergeant
Essential improvement works are currently taking place on the Metrolink network between Shudehill and Market Street.
As the next phase of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network gets under way this month, essential track replacement work is now being carried out in a bid to make the network ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable’ for years to come.
As of yesterday (1 June) through to Tuesday 9 June, improvement works are taking place in the city centre, and during this time, no trams will operate via Market Street and Shudehill.
This means that, while the work is carried out, some disruption is expected and passengers are urged to ‘plan ahead’ for their journeys.
For the next week, all services from Altrincham will operate to Bury via Exchange Square, and all services from Bury will operate to Altrincham via Exchange Square – with neither calling at Piccadilly Gardens, Piccadilly, Market Street, and Shudehill.
Tram diversions and disruption on Market Street as improvement works are carried out / Credit: The Manc Group
Services from the Trafford Centre will operate to Etihad Campus, while services from Manchester Airport will operate to Victoria via Exchange Square.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has advised that, for customers on the Bury and Altrincham lines, the easiest way to reach Piccadilly will be by changing trams at St Peters Square, although you may need to change platforms for the right trams, so you should check departure boards and signage on stop for more details.
Customers may need to change trams, take a short walk, or hop on the free Bee Network bus to continue their journey. Outside of free bus operating times, however, a replacement bus will operate between Piccadilly and Victoria.
🛠️ Tram works are taking place in the city centre until Tuesday 9 June. Changes to the service pattern are in place:
– Altrincham/Bury & Airport/Victoria services are operating via Exchange Square – Trafford Centre services are operating to Etihad Campus
“These improvements are part of our continued £150m investment to make our tram network safer, more reliable and more resilient for the long term,” commented Ian Davies, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink.
“I’d strongly encourage everyone travelling during this period to plan ahead, as some tram services will need to change while we carry out this essential work.”
Tram services will resume via the Market Street/Shudehill stops from the start of service on Wednesday 10 June.
Everything you need to know about the planned works is on the TfGM website here.
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Pair jailed after filming themselves driving over 130mph before killing man in fatal Manchester collision
Emily Sergeant
Two men who filmed themselves driving at speeds of over 130mph before a fatal collision earlier this year have now been jailed.
20-year-old Uways Hussain, of Marley Road in Manchester, has been sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison, while 23-year-old Usmon Mahmood, of Buller Road in Manchester, has been sentenced to 12 years and nine months.
Their sentences follow a night of what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) called ‘dangerous driving’ around the South Manchester area, which started at around 11pm on the evening before the collision.
The vehicle – a Volkswagon Golf – belonged to Mahmood, but he allowed Hussain to drive the vehicle at high-speed throughout the night.
On the evening prior to the collision, beginning at around 11pm, Hussain and Mahmood were driving recklessly around the South Manchester area.
According to police, the pair filmed themselves consistently travelling at speeds of over 100mph on 30mph roads, and in several cases, theyvreached over 130mph and seconds before impact, were recorded at 139mph.
Recorded footage also showed them running red lights and weaving through traffic with no regard for the safety of other road users or pedestrians.
At one stage during the night, the pair stopped at a petrol station, where footage shows Mahmood inhaling from a balloon in the passenger seat, while later o Hussain can be seen doing over 100mph and also appearing to be inhaling from a balloon while driving.
The fatal collision happened at around 4:36am on Monday 9 March 2026 at the junction of Green End Road and Kingsway, where the victim – Sylvester Abayomi, 50 – was on his way to work and entered the junction on a green light, believing it was safe to proceed, but was then struck by the car being driven by Hussain, which had travelled through a red light at extremely high speed.
Sylvester Abayomi / Credit: GMP
Immediately following the collision, GMP received several emergency calls and an automatic alert from Hussain’s Apple Watch saying he had been involved in a collision.
During this alert, both men could be heard discussing plans to flee the scene and attempting to decide what evidence they needed to remove from the vehicle. They were also heard discussing reporting the vehicle as stolen, and shortly afterwards, they booked an Uber to escape.
Emergency services attended the scene, but sadly, despite their best efforts, Sylvester sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead.
GMP says it received its first report of the incident at 4:37am,, and within 12 minutes the pair had been located, caught, and arrested by officers.
DC Thomas Johnson, from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, described the incident as ‘one of the most extreme cases of dangerous driving we have encountered’.
It’s also believed that this is one of the first times in the country where a passenger has been convicted for aid and abetting causing death by dangerous driving.
Jess Walmsley -
25th June 2020 
