Scarborough woman unveils book celebrating 80 years of Miss Great Britain
Scarborough woman Sally-Ann Fawcett has unveiled her latest book, celebrating 80 years of the Miss Great Britain pageant.
Sally-Ann, a former Miss Scarborough and Miss Scarborough News finalist herself, has been head judge at the iconic pageant for the past 12 years, including at the 2026 Miss International event in Chorley, where fellow Scarborian Lottie Stephens, 21, placed as fourth runner-up and landed a prestigious Leadership Award.
Sally-Ann’s new book documents the history of Britain's longest-running beauty contest, from its origins at the Super Swimming Stadium in Morecambe in 1945 (soon to become The Eden Project Morecambe) to its current venue at The Athena in Leicester.
Last year, fellow Scarborian David Sillitoe covered the 80th anniversary pageant for BBC Breakfast, and now Sally-Ann has released the complete history to mark the occasion.
This is her fifth book, joining her trilogy of Misdemeanours publications, and a previous history of Miss Great Britain to mark its 75th anniversary in 2020.
"The pageant has had so many ups and downs over the years," she said.
"It went from being the world's richest beauty contest in the 50s, to being cancelled completely by the BBC in the 80s.
"But it has survived and thrived, and now more women than ever want to compete, so much so that the directors had to close the entry window early this year."
80 - Miss Great Britain 1945-2025 is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Blackwells.