PEMBROKESHIRE beauty Niamh Mason is preparing for one of the biggest events of her life as she competes in the finals of Miss Wales 2023, which took place on Friday night (Apr 14) at the prestigious Riverfront in Newport, Gwent.
The 20-year-old student, who is a native of Letterston, has spoken about her tremendous pride at having been chosen for the finals.
“I come from a mixed race background, so to be able to display the diversity that we have here in Wales at the Miss Wales finals is truly fantastic,” she said.
Following A levels in psychology, sociology and business, Niamh won a place at the Bath Spa University to study law.
“This is a subject I feel very passionate about, as the system is currently not being deemed to be correct,” she explained.
“So many justice systems across the world are being challenged and questioned, and I became increasingly aware of cases that resonated with me concerning people from different backgrounds who are being failed by the justice systems. I hope and believe that by studying law, I can help to make a change in those parts of the justice system where a change is needed.”
It’s ironic that the Miss Wales 2023 finals take place on Grand National Day, as Niamh is a keen rider who regularly helps exercise the horses on a racehorse training facility in Berkshire.
“I suppose it’s because I’m so driven and hardworking,” she laughs.
“Even on days when I have early lectures, I’ll have ridden two horses out before 8.30am.”
Niamh also believes passionately that women shouldn’t feel they have to present either a masculine or a feminine side.
“Women should be proud to embrace their own individual strength without feeling as though they are any less womanly,” she said.
“Being a Miss Wales finalist is naturally a great honour, but with this platform, my aim is to inspire more girls to broaden their minds and go on to achieve what they think is possible for them.”
The last three days have been particularly busy for Niamh and the other 28 finalists who have taken part in an empowerment day designed to help them grow in confidence and a charity ball which has raised funds for disadvantaged children in Wales. Tonight, they will stage a catwalk show in front of a packed theatre audience at The Riverfront in Newport.
The winner will then represent Wales in the Miss World finals which take place in the United Arab Emirates later this year.
Pembrokeshire Herald readers can vote for Niamh from their mobile phones, via SMA.
The winner of the public vote gets a ten-point head start on the leaderboard; the contestant who gets second place gets an eight-point head start while the third placed contestant gets a five-point head start. If there is a tie, the winner will be the contestant with the largest public vote.
