Barry girl reaches Miss Wales final

Wednesday, 23 October 2024 11:13

By Ken Watkins

Ruby and mum Penny with family friends Claire Gibbs (left) and Amanda Jones (right)

A Barry teenager who was spotted in a nail bar will be competing for the title of Miss Wales in May next year.

Ruby Dimond, 17, was with her mother Penny, “just getting my nails done, when a lady came up to us and said to my mother ‘do you think your daughter would be interested in being a Miss Wales finalist?’

“I didn’t know what it was. So we read up about it and decided to give it a go. I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m confident, it will be a laugh, and we’ll see what happens.”

Ruby, who is currently studying a Level 3 Sport course at Cardiff and Vale College, completed an application form, sent it in along with some photographs, and then was interviewed over the phone. “I got an email the next morning to say I’d made it. I was really shocked.”

The three-day competition takes place on May 1st - 3rd, and will be held in two venues, the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff and The Riverfront in Newport.

An empowerment day will be followed the next day by a rehearsal and charity ball, “which my family can come to”. The last day sees another rehearsal, followed by the final and judging. “It’s going to be a handful,” said Ruby.

A central plank in the Miss Wales 2025 competition is raising funds for charity. Ruby is supporting the Miss World charity "Beauty with a Purpose" and has already held two fundraising events.

“We had a cheese, cracker and prosecco night at home for family and friends, and then a big one at Brynhill Golf Club on October 19. “After all the rain, the sun came out and it was a perfect day,” said Ruby.

“There will be others, with maybe not me carrying them out. But I definitely want to be taking part in things, just anywhere, going places and helping people. I’ll have a look to see if there’s anything in Malta I can do.”

Ruby’s father John is head coach of the youth team at Barry RFC, and a former Malta international. Her mother Penny, a teacher, is the youth team manager.

John, who owns a repair centre in Barry, along with Matthew Thomas of Asguard Ltd, Cardiff, is sponsoring Ruby in what will be a busy summer for her.

As well as Miss Wales, Ruby, who has won a number of street dance competitions, is in a team competing in the Electric Dance Multi Style international street dance finals in Spain in June.