AS THE new Miss Manchester, Arrabella will represent the city in the the Miss England 2013 Final in Torquay on 16 June.
Looking for qualities other than just beauty for the pageant makes sense, given that a large part of being Miss Manchester and Miss England is getting involved in charity work.
Aged 18, Arrabella snatched the custom made crown from 32 other worthy contestants, with 1st Runner Up going to Klaudia Kwiatkowska and the 2nd Runner Up position taken by Chloe Bell.
This year's event took place in the Manchester Suite at Old Trafford. The ninth live Miss Manchester Final, this glittering annual fundraiser has become a real fixture in the calendar as the biggest regional heat in the Miss England competition, with ticket holders enjoying a three course meal, champagne and entertainment and a live auction that raises thousands for charity.
There were ten judges, including TV personality Calum Best, Miss England 2012 Charlotte Holmes, Justin Blackhurst of Digital Next & ANS Group and celebrity dress designer Nadine Merabi, picked their winner over three rounds which consisted of Calvin Kleinesque daywear, swimwear and eveningwear. The top twelve contestants were asked a series of questions by the Miss England 2013 judge, with a focus on charity work.
Host for the evening was flamboyant comedian Jonathan Mayor who kept up a lively banter with the crowd as the Miss Manchester contestants took part in three rounds - daywear, swimwear and eveningwear – before being asked a series of questions by the Miss England 2013 judge, with a focus on charity work.
This is Arrabella Durkin's first beauty pageant. In keeping with the competition's increasingly wide remit of considering intelligence, ambition, talent and physical fitness as well as appearance, the new Miss Manchester has spent time in the air training corps and is an experienced long distance runner.
Looking for qualities other than just beauty for the pageant makes sense, given that a large part of being Miss Manchester and Miss England is getting involved in charity work. This year Arrabella will be helping Beauty with a Purpose, the official Miss World global charity, which focuses on children's causes.
Arrabella said of her win: “I'm so thrilled to be Miss Manchester and represent such a fantastic city!”
Fingers crossed for another success on 16 June.
Top photo by Paul Rittaler
