Following World War Two, a number of seaside resorts around the country introduced beauty contests as attractions, which immediately evolved into the national competition, Miss Great Britain. The contest began in the Summer of 1945 under the name “Bathing Beauty Queen”, organised by the Morecambe Local Council in partnership with the ‘Sunday Dispatch’ newspaper. Morecambe went on to become the home of Miss Great Britain between 1956 and 1989. The first ever Miss Great Britain final was watched by 4,300 people in a continuous downpour. The winner received a cup and according to the local newspaper ‘a paltry prize’ of seven guineas as well as a swimsuit. Prize money increased to £100 the following year, £500 the next and reached £1000 in the fifties due to its popularity. The contest continued to offer the largest prize fund of any competition run by a municipal authority. The sixties saw the beginning of the decline in British seaside holidays with families increasingly able to afford trips abroad. A new competition format was needed and was realised with the introduction of television to Miss Great Britain in 1971. By 1978, the prize fund had increased to £10,000 thanks to the competition’s sponsors, and the popularity of the competition was again on the rise. The pageant has changed dramatically over the years and is now one of the few inclusive systems allowing both married women and mothers to compete. In 2019 a new division allowing ladies aged 28 years and above was introduced as Ms Great Britain. The Miss Great Britain Pageant is organised by Kreative Group Ltd. The Miss Great Britain winner will go on to represent Great Britain as its Tourism Ambassador in the Miss Tourism World international competition.
2006 event
The 2006 title holder was Preeti Desai who hailed from North Yorkshire. Desai made history when she became the first ever winner of Indian ethnicity when she replaced the dethroned Danielle Lloyd. Lloyd had lost the crown after stirring up scandals for posing nude for Playboy magazine and dating one of the judges during her participation in the pageant. Danielle Lloyd has been re-instated into the Wall of Fame/ Previous winners as of 11 January 2010.
