Worksop woman on a mission to help local good causes after beauty pageant gives her new found confidence

Miss Galaxy Nottinghamshire Darcy Ledwidge finished runner up in last year’s United Kingdom Galaxy Pageant – and this year is hoping to go one better and win the competition when she represents Nottinghamshire later this year.

The 25-year-old said entering the pageant was “life changing” and has given her “the confidence and fire” to give back to the local community.

Darcy, who works for Center Parcs as a data protection executive, spends a lot of her spare time focusing on and raising awareness around eating disorders and body confidence, as well as hosting her own live cooking show, ‘The Queen’s Signature Dish’, every Wednesday on Instagram.

In the run up to this year’s contest, she has been helping and supporting a number of charities and fundraising events in and around Bassetlaw, and has already achieved her halfwy fundraising goal for the UK Galaxy Pageants chosen charity, The Christie.

Darcy, a former Outwood Academy Portland student, said: “People can have thoughts and feelings towards pageants based off an incorrect information, but the opportunity is life changing.

"This pageant has done for me and my eating disorders what 10 years of therapy couldn’t, and that’s given me the confidence and fire I never knew existed.

"I now spend my weeks giving back, helping, supporting and educating people on eating disorder awareness, raising money for Beat Eating Disorder and The Christie.

"I volunteer in my community to give back and doing everything I can to better myself as a person.

"This pageant has given me a platform to help where I can.

"Last year I was able to get involved and volunteer for a number of activities including, car washes, charity auctions, shop openings, festivals and fun days.

"I made it my mission to support as many local causes as possible.”

Darcy took part in the contest for the first time when she was mentally “at her lowest.”

She said: “This was the first ever pageant I have done, and when I told people I was taking part in UK Galaxy, they were shocked.

“UK Galaxy Pageants is one of the hardest pageants to win in the UK.

"It’s rare that first time people into the pageant community get placed, so I was definitely challenging myself.

"But the whole character of the UK Galaxy Pageant suits me and my personality, there is no other pageant I’d want to take part in and this is my dream title."

This year’s pageant will take place at Best Western Park Hall, in Chorley over the last weekend of November.

The crowned winners will then fly out to America, where they will attend the international Galaxy Pageant Finals.

Darcy shares all the charity content that she is involved in through social media.

Anyone that has any good cause or charity that she can help to support with, should message her directly on her social media accounts – Mrs Nottinghamshire Galaxy on Facebook and @notyouraverage_pageantgirl on Instagram

For more information about the forthcoming UK Galaxy Pageant – https://galaxypageantsuk.com