By Julie Waters
HOLYWOOD midwifery student Taylor Jordan will be swapping the delivery room for the catwalk when she competes in the final of this year’s prestigious Miss Great Britain Belfast pageant.
After completing her final university year, the 21 year-old is now looking forward to taking part in the live heat at Belfast’s Merchant Hotel, on June 9.
Taylor will be one of 12 finalists who are all vying for the coveted Miss Belfast crown hoping to secure a place at the Miss Great Britain National Final, being held in Leicester later in October this year.
The Belfast heat is the first time the competition has come to Northern Ireland to find a local beauty queen, with only four women from Northern Ireland crowned Miss Great Britain in the competition’s 80 year history.
Taylor is looking to impress a distinguished line up of judges including former Miss GB winners Gemma Garrett and Eden McAllister as well as ex-Miss Universe Ireland and Cool FM radio presenter Katherine Walker.
Each finalist will have a one to one interview with the judges, as well as competing in the fashion, swimwear and evening rounds on the main stage during the live final.
It has been a busy year for Taylor as she completes her studies as well as a series of fundraising challenges, from walking 100km to competing in the Race for Life, she is looking forward to her latest venture.
Explaining what attracted her to take part in the beauty pageant, Taylor said: “It is very inclusive, it is not just about looks, it is about you as a person and that is what really matters. You have to be yourself and that’s what I am doing.
“I think it is a really good fit for me, I am an outgoing, bubbly person and the other girls in the finals are just absolutely amazing.”
She added: “When I filled in the application I felt my ethos and morals matched what they are looking for, and as a finalist I feel it is about women’s empowerment.
“The career that I am going into is about empowerment, it is about positivity and just loving being a woman, I think it is why I fit it so well as a finalist.”
Taylor said she felt the competition had given her opportunities to do things she never thought possible whilst studying to become a midwife in her final year.
She has taken part in a 100km charity walk raising funds for the baby loss charity Sands and is putting her best foot forward in the Cancer Research UK Race for Life.
Looking forward to the final, Taylor said: “I am excited and nervous, it is a whole new world and I am loving it.”