David Gest makes Miss York launch party appearance (From York Press)
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David Gest makes Miss York launch party appearance
9:07am Saturday 19th November 2011 in News
At the launch of Miss York 2012 are, from left, organisers Naomi Smith, who was Miss York in 2007 and second in the Miss England contest, Melissa Chapman, Miss York 2010, Hannah Buffam, and Amy Twiddle, runner up Miss York for the past two years
THE Miss York 2012 contest has been launched with backing from Hollywood celebrity David Gest – and news that the contest will be staged in its biggest-ever venue, the York Barbican.
David, the American concert promoter, former husband of Liza Minnelli and star of the 2006 version of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! programme, turned up unexpectedly at the launch party with York businessman Andrew Whitney, who is a contest judge.
Competition organiser Naomi Smith said she was delighted to have won his support for next year’s event. She said there was a “very surprised reaction” when he turned up unexpectedly at the launch party, held at The Loop restaurant in Fawcett Street attended by several former Miss Yorks and prospective contestants for 2012. “Everyone was quite shocked to see him,” she said. “It was a complete surprise.”
Naomi said the final would be staged in the Barbican auditorium on Saturday, March 17, with room for an audience of 400 seated around tables, more than double the size of the previous venue, the Royal York Hotel.
She said that with the bigger stage, there would be space for 40 contestants and, as the competition was growing in popularity, she believed it was time to take it to a larger venue.
The Miss York final is normally staged in the early summer but Naomi said it was being brought forward this year as the Miss England and Miss World contests were being staged earlier than normal, because of the Olympics.
The 2011 contest raised more than £4,000 for ward 34 at York Hospital. Naomi revealed that next year’s would support the Variety Club.
Among the 2012 contestants attending the launch party was Catherine Lyth, 17, from Huntington, a year 12 pupil at Huntington School.
She said she was hoping to go to university to study medicine on leaving school, but also liked the idea of doing something for charity and being a figurehead for the city, while at the same time enjoying a bit of glamour.
