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Exclusive: Mr. & Miss England 2017

Writer's picture: Hinton MagazineHinton Magazine

This Miss England Organisation was founded in 1928 and nearly 90 years down the line the competition is still going adding to its brand the Mr. England title too. Each Year up and down he country women from all back grounds compete in whats called 'Regional Heats' for a chance to represent their home town / county at the nation level with 50 ladies fighting it out for that one desired crown. For The men is a similar journey, Mr. England takes place every two years in which the winner competes at Mr. World. Very Similar to the girls journey each male would compete in regional heats to compete for a place at the nation level with 20 men fighting for the 2017 title Mr. England.


Pictures by Third Avenue Photography

Miss England 2017 is Miss. Stephanie Hill, She won her crown in July alongside Mr. England 2017 Jack Eyers. Miss. Hill has since already competed and finished 2nd - runner -up at Miss World. Making her the highest ranking Miss. England in history. I managed to speak to the current champions, to dig deep and get their honesty opinions of the brand they represent and the journey they made;

CH: Both: What was it like to be Crowned Miss / Mr England 2017?

SH: It was wonderful, it was a 4-year journey that finally came to pass. To know all the hard work was worth it meant so much.

JE: The night of the Mr England crowning was an emotional rollercoaster. When I finally heard my name being called it was overwhelming but very exciting!! It took me at least a week to sink in that I had won.

CH: Stephanie: This isn't your first attempt at becoming Miss England, what did it mean to you to win this time around?

SH: It meant that all the blood, sweat and tears (literally, especially when training for the Sports Round!) were worth it. I have the most wonderful support team at home too, so I knew it meant so much to them too, I was so grateful to them for believing in me for so long.

CH: Both: Did either of you believe you would win your titles?

SH: I tried to channel that frame of mind, but I never truly believed I would win, nothing like that is ever guaranteed as every candidate is so deserving.

JE:I love to dream big... so yes I believed I could win


Pictures by Third Avenue Photography

CH: Jack: Do you think you being the first ever Amputee Mr. England was a huge moment in the competitions history?

JE:Absolutely! This is history in the pageant world! I am committed to empowering and inspiring people living with disabilities. In the past beauty and disability are like chalk and cheese. To win the Mr England title is a huge moment personally and also shows how perceptions are changing.

CH: Both: Its just over 4 months since you both won your titles, do you think you have for-filled the 'Role model' figure you set yourselves out to be?

SH: I believe I have. I believe I represent that despite your background, talents, experitise, you have something you can give to make someone else's life better. I try to inspire people to follow whatever aspirations they might have, no matter how long it takes to get there.

JE:Without a doubt. I proudly say that winning the Mr England title has inspired so many people world wide. Since winning I have attended international fashion shows and talked at events about my journey. These include Bulgarian Business Ball, Russia, Sri Lanka, India, Germany, Sweden and London. I will continue to challenge the perception of disability and act as a role model.

CH: Stephanie: Let's talk Miss. World. 'Incredible' to say the least. Entering that competition did you think you'd get that far? When they announced the top 5 did you believe you could win the big prize?

SH: My only hope for the competition was that I would represent my country well. I gave every element of the competition my absolute all and more, so I knew I would come away regardless of the result having tried my best. I believe when the Top 5 was called that I had spoken well about a topic I was passionate about, and that was taken into account. I felt like I could potentially have placed in the Top 3.

CH: Jack: You've seen Stephanie's success at Miss world, do you feel you could replicate it or even go on to win Mr.World?

JE:To be totally honest, I am so excited about the Mr World. If I could replicate Stephanie success I would be ecstatic. I love to dream big... I'm going to put everything into it and of course focus on winning!

CH: Both: Looking back at your Miss / Mr England journeys, would you do anything different? Would you approach the competition the same way or slightly different?

SH: I would try to have approached the competition with less self-doubt. As Miss England drew closer, I adopted a mindset that kind of went, 'You've had the most wonderful 4 years, go out there, give it your all, and regardless of the result come away having had the most wonderful time'. I wish I had embraced that mentality sooner, it would have made the preparation a lot less stressful and reduced the pressure I was putting on myself.

JE:I had a lot going on in my life when I originally applied for the Mr England. I had spread myself too thin to keep up with the challenges in the lead up to the final. I feel i let myself down with the talent video. I should have spent more time making the video and raising more money.

CH: Both: What are the other contestants like? for the guys there 20 other guys for the girls theres 50 girls wanting that crown, is everyone friendly? Is there any bitterness?

SH: Everyone was/is still exceedingly supportive. We were all women with similar interests, goals, aspirations, hobbies. We all get on so well. We have a group chat that is still active from the Miss England finals, the girls were so enthusiastic and supportive whilst I was at Miss World! We give each other career, travel and relationship advice, it's 50 women supporting each other through whatever life throws at us, it is phenomenal.

JE: Every one of the guys was there to win the Mr England title. Everyone was there for their own personal journey. Having said that it was an absolute pleasure spending time with these boys! They made the entire event the most memorable evening!

CH: Jack: What do you need to do to win Mr. World next year?

JE:That's a hard answer to put into words. I guess I could really do with the support from my country.

CH: Stephanie: The search for Miss. England 2018 is already underway. What advice would you give to anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?


Pictures by Third Avenue Photography

SH: Be as unashamedly, authentically you as possible. Be warm, kind, open, hard-working. Be proud of what you stand for, and proud of what you can give to the world, and how you can positively impact those around you. Understand that life is so fleetingly short, as is this incredible opportunity.

CH: Both: The Miss England / Mr England competitions get a lot of negative press, people think its a just beauty competition, do you agree with this, how would you advertise the competition?

SH: I believe people tend to ignore it when we prove that it is not 'just a beauty pageant'. For years we have shown that is not the case, but despite our best efforts, for some unknown reason, people refuse to change their mind. Miss England and Miss World do not focus on aesthetic beauty, quite the opposite. The candidates who were talented, well-spoken, educated, charitable, athletic, healthy and conscious of what they can contribute to society were the candidates who were encouraged and supported. I believe the candidates were beautiful as a result of all of the wonderful aspects of their personality.

JE: I totally disagree with this. It's a very rounded competition and It has so many aspects attached to it that people are unaware of. The competition will challenge your confidence on stage public speaking with questions and answers, it looks at your talents and hobbies, your fitness levels and determination, how charitable you are with commitment to help people, public vote round shows how likable you are as a person, open shirt catwalk round to show off how self motivated you are and how well you look after yourself, and much much more. These are all characteristics of a role model. Of course being good looking on stage helps but it's much deeper than that.

CH: Jack: As Mr. Englands what do you think is the biggest problem men face today?

JE:Confidence is a big problem.

CH: Stephanie: Same question as Jack, Whats the biggest issue Women face today?

SH: I believe women aren't taken seriously in many elements of society. Or in order to be taken seriously, a woman has to have a certain level of education, or certain achievements before someone even respects their opinion or contribution. I believe I am lucky in respect this because I have a medically-related degree. However, if I had chosen a career path of less academic prestige, that might not be the case. I believe despite our chosen career paths we should all be respected equally, for it is the actions individual that should have the most impact.

CH: Both: Do You think you deserved to be crowned Mr/Miss England ?

SH: I believe I worked as hard as I possibly could for the title, and tried to embody what I believed the organisation stands for. As much as every candidate is deserving, I believe given the amount of time I had worked for the organisation prior to being crowned Miss England demonstrated my passion for organisation and how I could represent England at Miss World.

JE: Yes and I'm very grateful!

It's clear to see both Miss Hill and Mr. Eyers are passionate about there current roles. The Miss England organisation is an incredible one, with many, many kind hearted people world around it. The whole event is based around a charity,

Could you be the next Miss England?

The search for Miss England 2018 is on you can head to their website to find out more information.

Curtis Hinton


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