By Julie McLaughlin
A KILKEEL student is the first runner-up in the Miss Northern Ireland 2024 competition.
Poppy Grace Newell (19) was a finalist in the competition, which took place on the 27th of May at the Europa Hotel in Belfast.
As the first runner-up to Miss Northern Ireland 2024, 24-year-old Hannah Johns, Poppy impressed the judges during her first ever pageant competition.
“I am overjoyed! I cannot find the words to describe how grateful I am for this opportunity,” Poppy said.
“I have never been confident within myself, and I doubted myself through the entire process, so this achievement means the world to me.”
“Through this journey, my confidence has grown a lot thanks to the [Miss Northern Ireland organising] team’s unwavering belief in me.”
Poppy also offered her congratulations to the new Miss Northern Ireland.
“First and foremost, I want to congratulate Hannah Johns, and I would like to express how much I have enjoyed the opportunity of being a Miss NI finalist over the past three months,” Poppy said.
“I view being first runner-up in Miss Northern Ireland as more than just a title; it’s a chance to show the world the beauty, strength, and unity of our country, as I am very proud of Northern Ireland and the progress we have made.”
As part of her prizes as first runner-up, Poppy will get a chance to do some modelling.
“I now am contracted as an ACA model (the agency who are the licence holder of Miss NI),” she said.
Poppy also received a year’s supply of bBold tan products, a year’s worth of treatments from Younique Aesthetics in Belfast, and a year’s worth of treatments at Beauty Boulevard in Lisburn.
Poppy is a past pupil of Brackenagh West Primary School, where she was Head Girl. She then continued her education at Kilkeel High School, where she was Deputy Head Girl. Poppy is now a student at Ulster University and works as a legal marketing assistant for a law firm in Belfast.
When she is not working or studying, Poppy is active in musical pursuits.
“I am very into music. I sing and play the acoustic and electric guitar,” she said.
Poppy is also very close with her family, especially her siblings.
“I have three brothers who are my best friends and who have supported me throughout my whole competition, as well as my mum and dad who have been so supportive and taken a great interest in it. My mum has attended every event to do with Miss NI and has encouraged me along the way,” she said.
Poppy said that she learned a lot from the experience of being involved in the Miss Northern Ireland competition, with all of the contestants putting in a lot of effort and being involved in a variety of ways during the months leading up to the actual event.
“Being involved was more than I could have dreamt of,” Poppy said. “I discovered that you have to be willing to put a serious amount of time and effort into the competition.
“This involves posting reels continually on social media, attending heats, participating in content days and being willing to step out of your comfort zone to speak and perform a talent on stage. It’s not just about looking pretty; that’s only one very small aspect of it,” she said.
One example was that the contestants were challenged to raise awareness for a specific cause or charity. Poppy selected Type One Diabetes as her cause because someone close to her has it.
“I decided to raise awareness of the illness on my social media platforms. As a family, we have fundraised [for diabetes charities] a number of times in the past,” she said.
Poppy said that she particularly liked the social media aspect of the competition.