Slideshow: Costessey teenager wins Miss Norwich title

DAVID BALE

03 February 2010

The city's most glamorous women strutted their stuff at the Maids Head Hotel in Tombland yesterday in a bid to win the coveted Miss Norwich title.

The winner - Salema Junior-Radford, 19, from Costessey - was picked from the 10 finalists by judges including Miss England, Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge, and 2008's Miss Norwich, Jessica Linley.

Miss Junior-Radford, who is studying to be a doctor at Newcastle University, won £1,500 of hairdressing vouchers for Paula Vika Hair design on Ber Street, a television training course and a day at a Champney's spa, and she also gets to wear a crown.

As part of the competition all the finalists had to wear one recycled outfit.

First runner-up was Alex Serruys, 17, and third was Danielle Brise Grey, 22.

Miss Junior-Radford, who now goes into the semi-finals of Miss England in June, said: "I was completely in shock and couldn't move when I found out I'd won.

"I never expected to win but I thought I'd give it a try.

"My mum, sister and nephew were there, and my nephew was in tears."

The former Norwich School pupil said she planned to act as an ambassador for Norwich.

She said: "I have lived in Norwich since I was little and it's a really nice place, but when I went to university in Newcastle, nobody had heard of it. I want to try to get more people to visit Norwich and put it more on the map."

The other finalists were 16-year-old Mione Knight, 17-year-olds Natalie Stalker and Rebecca Turner, 20-year-old Genna Mathieson, 21-year-olds Ceri Taylor and Eva George, and Angela Gaston, 22.

L/Cpl Hodge, a soldier with the Royal Anglian Regiment and dubbed 'Combat Barbie', was crowned Miss England after the original winner, Rachel Christie, relinquished her title following her arrest over an alleged nightclub brawl. She was the first runner-up in the Miss England 2009 final last July.

As reported, bosses of the Miss England beauty competition helped raise £12,000 for Norwich-based eating disorders charity Beat, based in Prince of Wales Road, after it chose to support the charity as part of its 2009 competition. Beat will also benefit from this year's competition.

Ü One of the finalists, Natalie Stalker, featured in the Evening News' Life Matters Real Model campaign - which aims to get real men and women modelling on the EN's fashion pages. People interested can sign up at www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/eveningnews24/life-matters.

Ü To see a slideshow of the finalists, log on to www.eveningnews24.co.uk

Ü Have you won a recent competition? Ring reporter David Bale on 01603 772427 or email david.bale2@archant.co.uk.