Aleesha Hicks emerged victorious as the first-ever Miss Berkshire after a final showdown against her fellow finalists for the county title on Sunday, July 13, hosted at Easthamstead Park.
Now she is getting ready to face the famous pageant’s national final on October 17, where the winner will be crowed Miss Great Britain.
Aleesha said she “can’t believe” the big day has approached so quickly, and admitted it is “very scary” but also “very very exciting”.
This marks the first time Berkshire has ever had a representative at the big final – extra special this year as it is the pageant’s 80th anniversary – and Aleesha explained she has been doing a lot of prep, from practicing her walking to drafting answers to potential questions from the judges.
She will be heading to the site two days early for rehearsals and an interview with the judges, with the big show itself starting at 6pm on Friday, October 17.
The competition will see the county title holders jostling for top spot in a fashion-wear round, a swim-wear round, and an evening-wear round.
The contestants will be whittled down to the top ten, and then the top five, who will have to answer questions live on stage for one minute.
Reflecting on her time as the first-ever Miss Berkshire, Aleesha said she thinks the experience has been “quite special”.
The organiser of the Berkshire branch of the pageant, Kirsty Fletcher, said earlier this summer that, contrary to stereotypical views, pageantry is actually all about “female empowerment” rather than bikini photos.
Aleesha is quick to echo this sentiment, saying she “didn’t know what to expect” when she first started her pageantry journey two years ago, but is now convinced that pageantry “actually totally isn’t” about looks and beauty.
“It doesn’t even cross our mind, you are so busy advocating for your platform, it is so much about the charity work,” she said, adding that the Miss GB pageant is “really so inclusive”.
“And there is that saying, don’t knock it till you try it, and now that I’m in it, it’s so amazing, and there is such a range of things that people are advocating for.”
The pageant does have an impressive fundraising track record, with the Miss GB Organisation reportedly having raised over £160,000 for their partner charity Cancer Research since 2015.
Aleesha, who also works full-time as an airline cabin crew member, said her main focus is on the running club she organises for women.
She explained the club is called ‘You’ve Got This’, as this is her “favourite phrase” that she uses to “encourage and inspire not only myself but also others”.
“I’ve always had a passion for running and I wanted a way to give back,” Aleesha said.
Her running club now has a membership of over 30 women, and they meet twice a week.
“It’s been amazing,” Aleesha said, recounting how one member initially had difficulty running for more than five minutes but is now doing 5k runs.
“And friendships have formed and there’s this unity. It’s not even about the running, just getting women together, to feel part of something.”
The run club has gone “way better” than Aleesha expected, and she said people have called for similar clubs in other areas.
Even if she doesn’t walk away from the final with the national Miss Great Britain crown, Aleesha will still be Miss Berkshire until a new county finalist is chosen next summer.
“Whatever happens on the night, I am still Miss Berkshire,” she said, adding she wants to continue what she is doing with the run club, growing it into other communities and perhaps getting some charities involved.