Beauty queen contestant hopes to raise awareness of painful health condition

Jade Hall, 28, has raised more than £3,500 for The Christie and Coeliac UK charities since she first started entering beauty pageants in 2015.

And now she hopes to support the charities further as Miss Fylde Coast 2021 in the first grand final of the UK’s National Miss 2021.

Jade, who works as a nursery nurse at a special school in Blackpool, was diagnosed with coeliac disease – a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat

gluten – four years ago.

She said: “Coeliac UK is very close to my heart.

“Ever since being diagnosed I try and raise awareness of this illness.

“I manage my coeliac disease daily by a very strict diet. I have to be very aware of how my food is prepared as I could get poorly from cross contamination.

“I have been in hospital before with pain from eating gluten. It can be very, very painful.”

Jade, who also works as a vocalist, lives with her fiancé, Craig Maddox, in Thornton.

The couple was due to marry last year, but postponed their big day due to the coronavirus pandemic.

They plan to tie the knot on July 24 this year at St Anne’s Church in Singleton and then hold their reception at the Glass House at Staining Lodge.

Jade not only has a wedding to plan, but she is now also preparing to compete in the beauty pageant final in March.

She said: “I love my job at the school. I also work as a vocalist whenever I can but due to Covid-19, I’ve not been able to get up on stage over the last year as much as I would have liked

to.

“I also love to enter into pageants and this has been a passion of mine over the last nine years. It can be very good to go out of your comfort zone.

“I encourage anybody who is ready for a challenge to enter. I promise you will come out with so much more than you ever dreamed of.

“Do it for yourself!

“It’s not all about how you look. It’s a chance to show the judges that you would be the best representative as the title holder.”

Jade, who has previously been crowned Miss Charity in the UK Power Pageant for raising the most funds for a charity, has been supporting the Samaritan’s Purse shoebox appeal.

She added: “I managed to fill 20 boxes for children all over the world at Christmas.

“A lot of my friends and colleagues got involved with this and I was very grateful.

“On the run up to the final I plan to spread awareness of coeliac disease and raise money for the Christie Charity.

“Due to Covid-19 this is much harder than normal but I plan to do online raffles and baking to raise money. I will do my very best to bring the title home for Blackpool.”

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