Shy teen ‘proud’ to represent Warrington in national pageant final

Savannah Henshaw, 13, was selected to represent Warrington as a semi-finalist in this year’s Miss Junior Teen Great Britain last month.

Now, the shy teen from Appleton will progress to the final as Miss Junior Teen Warrington on October 12 in Blackpool.

Savannah, who is a student at Bridgewater High School, was first inspired to take part in pageants after she saw the girlfriend of her friend’s brother do the same.

“I was really inspired by her because she’s really pretty and nice, and I mentioned it to my nana and she surprised me with entering me,” she said.

The 13-year-old was entered by her grandmother, Gill Evans, who sent in two pictures of her to the judging panel at Miss Teen Great Britain in July.

She was selected as a semi-finalist and then had to submit a questionnaire explaining why she should represent the town in the grand final.

“That’s when the real work starts, as it is judged 50 per cent on your looks and 50 per cent on the quality of the questionnaire that you send back,” said Gill.

“We were sat here for hours filling it out answering questions like ‘what’s your greatest achievement’."

Jessica Crosthwaite, Amy Shepherd, Eva Hays, Mia Rogers and Savannah Henshaw (Image: Supplied)

Now that she has been selected, Savannah is using the preparation period before the final to help raise awareness for the pageants Charity of the Year, Together for Short Lives.

She took on a 5K run with some of her friends and hopes to raise £300 for the children’s charity.

“When I read about Together for Short Lives, I felt really sad and wanted to help in any way that I could, so I asked my friends if they would like to join me in my 5K run,” she said.

“They were also really excited to help out and raise money for the children and their families.”

On August 29, Savannah and her friends completed the run in Appleton and managed to raise an impressive £247.50, including gift aid, on JustGiving.

The aspiring beautician will now continue preparing for the final and has been selecting her outfits.

“I have heard her telling people that she’s so proud to represent Warrington in the competition, and fingers crossed she does well,” said Gill.

“Savannah’s quite a nice shy girl and this for her confidence will be massive and that’s the main reason we’re doing it.

“As shy and nice as she is, the minute you get a camera out she’ll pose.”

Due to her shy nature, Savannah admitted that she has at times struggled with confidence, but this pageant is already helping her come into her own.

“Her confidence was just so low, so it’s convincing her of how pretty she is and to be confident,” said Gill.

“To do this is a massive thing for her, she’s just got to believe in herself.”