Press release ; 19/7/2026
Ellie and Caitilin shared the Miss East Midlands sash on the night of the regional qualifyer held at the Pumping station Anstey
The Miss England East Midlands competition ended in an extraordinary result this weekend, with two contestants being crowned joint winners after finishing on exactly the same score.
The Miss England- East Midlands regional qualifier took place at The Pumping Station, Cropston, in Leicester on Sunday 12th July, where contestants competed in a series of rounds in the lead up to the contest designed to showcase far more than beauty. The competition included a make-up free Bare Face round a talent round ,a beauty with a purpose fundraising round for the Vayuu foundation and a Wedoethical.org Ethical Fashion challenge, interviews and a final catwalk presentation.
Grace Richardson organised the Miss East Midlands heat after winning the Miss England title in 2025, heres Grace on the night with Ellie and Caitilin – photo by Andrew Mee – Moments by Mee at the recent event held at the Pumping station Anstey
After the judges’ scores were totalled, they discovered that two contestants had achieved identical top marks, making it impossible to separate them.
Reigning Miss England, Grace Richardson, who hosted and organised the event, said:
“The judges simply couldn’t choose between them. Both contestants performed brilliantly throughout the competition and thoroughly deserved to win.”
Fortunately, Miss England Director Angie Beasley was present & said: “It’s incredibly rare for our judging panel to produce an exact tie, but with both contestants achieving identical scores, we felt it was only fair that they should both progress to the national final. Rather than selecting just one overall East Midlands winner, they will now each proudly represent their own home county.”
Caitlin Bennett will now compete as Miss Leicestershire, while Ellie Daglish will be Miss Nottinghamshire in the Miss England Grand Final at Leicester’s Athena on 17th November, where they will compete for the Miss England crown and the opportunity to represent England at Miss World 2027.
Both East finalists impressed the judges not only with their confidence and presentation but also with their commitment to fundraising for the Vayyu Foundation and embracing sustainable fashion. Contestants sourced ethical outfits after receiving a brief from WeDoEthical.org which are both part of Grace’s Miss World Beauty with a Purpose project, Every Drop Counts, highlighting the need for water conservation and the environmental impact of fast fashion.
The East Midlands final celebrated confidence, compassion and sustainability, with both new finalists now hoping to follow in Grace Richardson’s footsteps..
Award winners at the event where ;
East Midlands Award winners:
Bareface – Ellie Daglish
BWAP Vayyuu top fundraiser – Anthasia Campbell who raised £643.57
Public Vote – Lacey Chapman
We Do Ethical – Ellie Daglish
Talent – Anthasia Campbell
Winners going through to the Miss England national final are :
Miss Nottinghamshire – Ellie Daglish
Miss Leicestershire- Caitlin Bennet
Advancing to the national Semi final in October are
Lacey Chapman and Anthasia Campbell for their efforts in the contest .
The top fundraisers where £643.54 was Anthasia and fundraising totals for the Vayyu foundation between all the contestants was £1,745.52
Following the event, organisers arranged for two new county sashes to be made for the contestants to wear while representing their local communities and in the finals of Miss England. They were also invited to a special photoshoot at Boss Studios in Leicester, where official images were taken to mark the occasion.
Meanwhile, reigning Miss England Grace Richardson from Leicester is in the final stages of preparing for the 75th Miss World Festival. Next month she will fly to Vietnam with the competition’s official travel partner, Vietnam Airlines, to represent England on the international stage and plans to showcase her talent by singing and dancing and her environmental Beauty with a Purpose project called Every Drop Counts, which champions water conservation, tree planting and ethical fashion .
ABOUT MISS ENGLAND
Thousands of women aged 16-27 enter Miss England every year , a competition which champions natural beauty , fundraising for good causes and ethical fashion . There will be a semi final of Miss England on 11th October at Melton Theatre Leicestershire
The grand final will be held at the Athena Leicester on the 17th November where the national winner will be crowned ready for the next Miss World in May 2027
FOR FURTHER DETAILS & TO INTERVIEW CAITLIN AND ELLIE PLEASE CONTACT
