A diamond in the local community

A Cavan woman is representing the county and Ireland in the Diamond UK & EU Finals taking place in Wigan, UK from August 29-31.

Janet Needham, a native of Dublin but who has been living in the Breffni county for a number of years, is a familiar, friendly face at the Meadow View on the outskirts of Cavan Town where she works.

She is a former model and now a member of the Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland Pageant Community. Janet is currently the holder of the Miss Diamond Ireland title.

Now in her late 40s, Janet believes the competition provides women of all ages with the opportunity to gain confidence and showcase their style on the catwalk. She also believes in the sense of community that group brings - something, she adds, that she experiences every day serving customers at the Meadow View.

“I became inspired to get involved in all of this by a lady in her late 50s who believed that age is only a number,” said Janet before adding that she went along to meet the ladies involved in the Pageant Community group and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I participated for the first time and won; I couldn’t believe it. I love that the women there aspire to inspire women to come along. It’s about confidence and fashion and is really, really enjoyable.”

Last pageant

The Diamond UK & EU competition is an international event and, if Janet emerges successful in the UK later this month, she will be heading to Florida in the US to compete on the world stage.

“If I get through at the end of this month, I will be going to Florida to represent Ireland as Miss Diamond Ireland,” she continued.

“It’s all very exciting really. But I do think this will be my last event to participate in.

“I’m going to hang up the heels after this; I’m celebrating a milestone birthday next year,” she revealed.

The experience for Janet has been about celebrating her beauty, enjoying her style and becoming empowered. The platform, she adds, provides this for women of all ages.

“It’s all about being the person you are and raising money for charity along the way. My charity is Young Minds, it’s an organisation that’s very important to me and because I have lost some family members to cancer, I’m also raising money for cancer research and palliative care.

“I love my job also; I love meeting the customers and our regulars at the Meadow View; there is a real sense of community there,” said Janet.