Growing up in care was tough, says Miss GB hopeful

A woman who grew up in care is hoping to use a national beauty pageant to highlight issues in the system and support others.

Marcie Reid, 30, from Swinefleet, East Yorkshire, has reached the finals of Miss Great Britain, which takes place later.

She entered the care system aged three after her family suffered "a lot of domestic abuse" by her biological dad, who was later murdered.

"Growing up in care was extremely difficult - I moved foster home 13 times. I want to show what you've experienced as a child does not define where you can go," she said.

Miss Reid, who works for Action For Children, a charity which supports children facing poverty or abuse, said she was 10 years old when she returned home to her mum and adopted dad.

She said: "Everything I've been through has brought me to where I am today, so I wouldn't change a single thing."

The estates manager said her campaigning had highlighted "additional barriers" faced by people leaving care.

"There needs to be a conversation about the support needed to allow people to succeed in life," Miss Reid said.

"A lot of people [in care] are defined by their issue and it puts them in a box and they can't get out of it.

"It limits where they can go, who they are, what they can do, and it shouldn't be that way."

Miss Reid, who is the current Miss York 2025, said winning the national title would allow her to continue to advocate for others growing up in care.

"I've healed from my experiences. It's now my turn to help others go through their trauma, heal and to succeed," she said.

The 2025 Miss Great Britain final, which is celebrating the pageant's 80th anniversary, will take place later in Leicester.

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