Little Mia shines at Miss Mini NI pageant

Five-year-old Mia Boomer was crowned ‘Miss Mini Supreme Northern Ireland’ at the event, which was held at the La Mon Hotel and Country Club near Belfast.

Mum Orlaigh was overwhelmed when her daughter won the award.

“Seeing my daughter on a stage at just five years old and being crowned ‘Miss Mini Supreme NI’ was amazing. It’s one of my proudest parenting moments to date. Although she didn’t win the overall ‘Miss Mini NI’ award, the whole family is just so proud of her,” Orlaigh revealed.

The theme of the pageant was anti-racism, anti-sectarianism and anti-bullying, and Orlaigh believes that this shone through on the day.

“One of the main reasons we entered this pageant is because Mia comes from a mixed background. Her father is from the Protestant community and I’m from the Catholic community. We don’t want her growing up in a community where sectarianism, racism or bullying are rife. I think the message of the pageant came across really well,” she explained.

This was the first pageant that Mia had taken part in, and Orlaigh feels that her daughter enjoyed the whole experience.

“Mia was so pleased and you could tell how happy she was in her smile. She had so much fun and met lots of new friends,” Orlaigh said.

Throughout her year as ‘Miss Mini Supreme’, Mia and her family will be raising funds for ‘TinyLife’. The charity supports premature and vulnerable babies, and is dedicated to reducing premature birth, illness, disability and death in babies born here.

“We have a new cousin who spent the first six weeks of his life in the neo natal unit at the Royal in Belfast. He is home now and doing really well, but because of this we felt that this charity would be a good charity to focus on,” Orlaigh added.

They already have a number of fundraising ideas in mind including selling wrist bands, setting up a JustGiving page and holding family fun days and children’s discos.

The Primary 2 pupil will be competing in the ‘Mini Miss Ulster’ pageant in February. If she is successful in that competition she will then compete in the ‘Miss World United’ event.

“Mia can’t wait until ‘Miss Mini Ulster’, and is looking forward to meeting new friends. She’s such a bubbly little girl who loves nothing more than playing with friends and meeting new people,” Orlaigh said.