A former pupil St John’s Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre, on Woodhouse Lane, is hoping to take home the crown of Miss Durham, after becoming a finalist in the prestigious competition.
Twenty year-old Zara Sowerby, who attended St. Anne’s secondary school in Wolsingham before studying at St. John’s, lives in nearby Shildon and will be among the 18 finalists at Sedgefield Racecourse this weekend.
When asked why she wanted to enter the competition, Zara said she did it for the experience of the pageant and for the fun of it, never expecting to get to the finals.
In order to get to the remaining few, Zara was interviewed by a panel of judges to see if she had what it took to become Miss Durham, and she was thrilled when she discovered that the judges had been impressed.
In her spare time, Zara likes to ride horses, to work out at the gym and to watch rugby. When she was 4 years-old, Zara battled leukemia and, although now fit and healthy, she still has to have regular check-ups. If she wins, she would like to use her position to help leukemia charities.
Now that she has progressed in the competition, Zara is both excited and nervous about the prospect of winning, as the title holder will go on to represent Durham in the Miss England pageant. She is thoroughly relieved to have picked all of her dresses for the final, although they are being kept under wraps
for now.
The Miss Durham 2009 show will be compered by TFM Radio’s Wayne Allen and will begin with three catwalkstyle rounds, after which the judges will choose the top ten contestants. The final round will be an interview when each contestant is asked a few short questions.
Not only will the winner receive an all expenses paid trip to the Miss England final, they will also be the lucky recipient of two flight tickets, courtesy of Durham Tees Valley Airport, a Station Studio photoshoot, a bottle of Champagne and two admission tickets to Sedgefield Racecourse’s Caribbean Evening.
Doors to the event open at 6.00pm on Saturday, April 18th, and will end at 12.30am. Tickets costing £20 per person and are available by telephone on 01740 621925.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
