Miss Alderney 2019 ‘natural choice’ say the judges

Miss Chandler, who turned 16 on Saturday, is a veteran helper with the Alderney Week festivities and her role this year will be the culmination of a life-long love affair with the 71-year-old event.

She was crowned at the traditional Alderney Week Easter disco held at the Island Hall.

‘When I was growing up Miss Alderney was always such a big thing,’ she said.

‘Me and my friends always wanted to be Miss Alderney. The fact that I’ve won the role feels just amazing. I’m very proud.’

She is studying for her GCSEs and hopes the role will help her in a career in the performing arts.

‘It’s all about speaking and acting so to be in the public eye like this will hopefully push me forward,’ she said.

‘I want to bring a passion, a different buzz to it. I’m really looking forward to representing my island, to being on a really great float – and to the parties, of course.’

Miss Chandler has for years helped out with children’s events during Alderney Week and her hard work helped her application stand out for the judges.

Applications are made confidentially during the disco. Pageant staples such as photos and vital statistics are not a feature of the judging process.

Bryony Harris, Alderney Week Team Leader, explained: ‘Miss Alderney is not a beauty pageant.

‘It’s about what you do for the island.

‘We asked all the candidates what they are most looking forward to as Miss Alderney and Abbie’s answers just blew the judges away. It was so honest and heartfelt. Abbie’s made for the role.

‘If you scroll through all of the Alderney Week photos of the past few years you will always see Abbie there, in a costume, having fun, getting everyone involved, so she was a natural choice.’

The theme for the August event, which doubles the number of people on Alderney every year, is Animal Magic.