Waterlooville pageant girl raises hundreds for Cancer Research UK and charity helping street children in Uganda

Cerys, 18, who will be competing against 30 others for the title of Miss Teen Pageant Girl UK in August, has been using time in lockdown to raise hundreds for causes close to her heart.

Beauty therapist Cerys, from Waterlooville, took part in the 2.6 challenge, raising £200 for Cancer Research UK by taking on a 26-minute workout followed by a 2.6 mile walk.

She also raised £160 for Kakembo Street Children’s Charity through a two-mile three-legged walk at Queen Elizabeth Country Park with her boyfriend Archie Lovegrove.

Both charities have particular meaning to Cerys – she has had family members with cancer, and a school trip to The Gambia sparked her interest in funding humanitarian work.

Based in Uganda, Kakembo Street Children’s Charity is run by Kakembo Steven – known as Steven – who was a street child himself and has dedicated his life to helping such children survive.

The money Cerys raised was enough to buy Steven a bike to travel around more easily. She said: ‘It’s so important for me to do something like this because he literally feeds the children and pays his rent through our money.’

If Cerys wins the title, she would love to plan a trip to visit Steven in Uganda to help out and see the difference her fundraising has made.

The day of the pageant will see Cerys take on a short interview with eight judges where she will have to impress with her values and talk about her fundraising, followed by an evening wear round and a ‘Be-you-tiful’ round in jeans and a T-shirt.

Cerys, who is applying for a police constable apprenticeship, said: ‘The whole ethos of the pageant is “beautifully inspiring”, which I think describes what a pageant girl is.

‘You could name any cause and there is a pageant girl out there who has raised awareness for it.

‘You don’t go to a pageant expecting to win because there are so many amazing girls, but I have put in so much hard work raising money for charities which really mean something to me.’

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.