Sponsored by
Beauty queen strides out in sister's memory
A LEEDS beauty queen will be swapping her tiara for a pair of walking boots to raise money in memory of her little sister.
Natalie Kisby, 17, from Pudsey, recently scooped the Miss Wakefield crown and dedicated it to her sister Lauren, who died aged just 14 from a rare form of cancer a year ago.
Only two days before the Miss England semi-finals Natalie will be climbing the Three Peaks alongside her father Steven to raise money for the hospice that cared for Lauren.
The former Crawshaw School pupil will also be joined by a group of Lauren’s friends and pupils from the school at the climb on Saturday.
Two days after the challenge she will then don her tiara to compete against 54 other girls from across the country at the Miss England semi-finals in Leicester on June 14.
Natalie told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I would like people to vote for me and, who knows, the next Miss England could come from Pudsey.”
Lauren was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a bone tumour on the pelvis, after she started to feel unwell in July 2008. She died in April last year.
Natalie, who is studying for her AS levels, said that when her sister Lauren was poorly in hospital she used to climb into bed next to her before she fell asleep.
She also said that Lauren would often help her get ready before she went out.
Natalie said: “On the night of the competition before the semi-finals it was like Lauren was with me every single step of the way.”
Her family has raised around 5,000 for Martin House Hospice in Boston Spa and the Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of Lauren.
Kim, Natalie, grandmother Christine Hilliard and great-auntie Kay Land scaled the Three Peaks – Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent – last summer to raise around 2,000.
To vote for Natalie in the Miss England competition visit www.miss england.info. To donate to the challenge email kisbynj01@leedslearning.net.
laura.bowyer@ypn.co.uk
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
