| About Katie Hall | I'm a mild punk-rocker who has been enjoying the delights of Nottingham over the past three years in the ways that students generally do. My first love was Zappa the cat, named after his highness Frank. My second is my dad's vinyl collection. |
The Miss Nottingham pageant has provided 23 year old Sarah with an opportunity to bring the issues of being British Iraqi to the public eye, while also having some fun. She hopes her background will make her stand out from the rest of the contestants. "I thought it would be a bit of fun, as I was in the finals last year. I liked meeting all the other girls. My mum wanted me to become involved as I'm Iraqi, and there's never been an Iraqi Muslim girl in any beauty contest based in England. My mum and I want to show that there are attractive British Iraqi girls who are proud of being both British and Iraqi. I also felt it would be a good way to raise awareness of certain charities, such as Children of War and Breast Cancer Research. Winning would mean I could use the publicity for a good cause."  | | Sarah Mendley |
Sarah would love to represent Nottingham as she is proud to call it her home, having lived here all her life. "Nottingham is a very warm city. It is a fantastic city, it is vibrant. It does not just rely on the student occupation as it's lively and friendly throughout the year, it's like a mini-London. There is also a lot of history here and people from all over the world recognise Nottingham." "As I'm a girl my perfect day in Nottingham would involve shopping and a spot of lunch in one of the bars in the centre with friends. My perfect evening would be in the Cornerhouse because it has everything, restaurants, movies..." Some typical beauty contest questions… 10 years from now… I want to be successful in everything I do. At the moment I am a medical sales representative and I want to carry on excelling. I enjoy the modelling work as well on the side, as a hobby. Also I will hopefully have a family. Best moment in my life? Graduating, as I was the first person in my family to graduate; getting a science degree and making my parents proud. If I could change one thing about the world… I would relieve any pain and suffering in the world. I don't think anything good can come of war. I was actually in Baghdad during the Gulf War so I know what it is to be on that side of war. Except for immediate family, all of my family are in Baghdad at the moment, and I know how they are suffering. We've interviewed all the Miss Nottingham contestants - see what they have to say for themselves - click on each of the 12 links on the right hand side of this page. | 
