A dream come true

Cindy Singh shares her story of being crowned Miss Guyana UK 2020

Competing in Miss Guyana UK has been a lifelong dream. It is something I have wanted to do since I came to London when I was nine years old. It was a dream to compete in this year’s competition in honour of my mum, but to win it was a dream made into reality.

The contest took place at the end of August, and I was one of five women competing. This year was different from any of the previous pageants because the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the contest had to be held online. This was the best decision as otherwise there would not have been a contest this year.

The public was given twelve days to vote for their favourite contestant to win and people were only allowed one vote per day.

What made the online contest different from the original, offline version is that I did not have to wear swimwear, traditional wear, or an evening gown. Instead I only had to upload my photos, chosen by some of my supporters. I also had to write a bio about myself.

I contacted everyone in my phone book, on Instagram and Facebook to remind them to share the link and vote for me for twelve consecutive days. I visited local businesses for support and I contacted people worldwide to vote for me − and they did. My friend Shaun Edwards had a screenshot saying ‘vote for Cindy’ set at 10.00 am every day on his alarm clock. It made me very emotional to see he had done this, because he knew how hard I worked since I became a contestant.

I had been very nervous when taking part because I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. The new style of the competition made me even more nervous because I was looking forward to the original format, and I felt more confident about being judged in person rather than online. I also had mixed emotions because of the fact that I was the oldest contestant. I have been a little self-conscious about myself − this is something I have suffered from for many years; however, I have faced many challenges, and I was determined to continue till the end.

During the contest I enjoyed promoting the competition itself, as well as gaining more confidence by working on my health and wellbeing. I prayed every day for God to give me strength and to guide me. I was doing this in memory of my mum, and I wanted to prove to my sons the importance of not giving up on their dreams.

Having won, I now have a responsibility to share this positive gift and embrace it, ensuring I use it to encourage other women. As this year’s queen, I will be attending events representing Miss Guyana UK, fundraising for my selected charity, and supporting teenagers and women with upcoming pageants and mental health concerns by building confidence and mentoring.

I am looking forward to celebrating with the rest of my family in Guyana and having more opportunities to share my story.

You can read about Cindy’s journey to the crown here:

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