Embracing the glitz and glamour of a north-east beauty pageant, a 35 year old, mum of two was titled Miss Year after displaying her dedication to Maggie’s cancer charity.
Frances Boyle was awarded the crown after three rounds of judging, the most prestigious being a demonstration of charity involvement which she passed with flying colours after raising over £1,500 for Maggie’s.
Mrs Boyle said:”To win my very first beauty pageant is a great feeling, however knowing the funds raised by the generous local community will go some way towards the transformation of lives affected by cancer in the North-east is absolutely fantastic.”
The Miss Year pageant is hosted by Scottish model hire agency, Platinum Promotions.
Each year they hold the competition which focuses on charity involvement, catwalk ability and outfit effort.
Charity involvement was central to Mrs Boyle’s success since Maggie’s was her motivation for participating in Miss Year as cancer found itself entering the lives of those she cared about.
Mrs Boyle said: “During Dad’s diagnosis and treatment, Maggie’s was only in the planning and building stages.
“After hearing what the Centre, and its specialists and volunteers do for those experiencing the same thing, there was really no doubt in my mind as to who to raise the money for.”
Maggie’s Aberdeen relies on voluntary donations to support and grow its network of Centres and to develop its unique, high quality programme of support.
The Centre provides free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends, following the ideas originally laid out by Maggie Keswick Jencks.
Since it was founded in Scotland in 1996, the people of Scotland have raised nearly £50 million to build and run eight centres covering every major NHS hospital in the country, including the opening of Maggie’s Aberdeen by HM Queen Sonja of Norway and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall in 2013.
Susan Sutherland, centre head at Maggie’s Aberdeen, said: “As an independent charity, we rely entirely on the generosity and support of the local community to raise the funds we need to provide our unique programme of support for people living with cancer, and their family and friends, in the local area.
“We are delighted that Frances has won Miss Year. When Frances approached us and told us her story and her motivation for getting involved with Miss Year, it struck a chord.
“Like many people, Frances has been affected by cancer and we were delighted to hear that she recognised the value of our work.
“Congratulations to her for nearly doubling her original target of £750.”
To find out more about Maggie’s Aberdeen and to see how the Centre supports people with cancer across North-east Scotland please visit the Centre at Elizabeth Montgomery Building, call 01224 645928 or visit aberdeen@maggiescentres.org.