Aspiring models take to catwalk in Modelsearch (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting TANEWS to 80360, or email
Aspiring models take to catwalk in Modelsearch
10:18pm Sunday 6th May 2012 in Local Video
By Hannah Postles, T&A Reporter
Young hopefuls on the catwalk at the Kirkgate centre, Bradford
Budding fashion stars were put through their paces on the catwalk in the heats of the Bradford Modelsearch competition.
More than 450 aspiring models strutted their stuff in front of a panel of judges at the Kirkgate Centre yesterday, with around 100 being put through to the competition’s final showdown on Sunday, May 20.
One youngster vying to win success in the modelling world was Keeley Hamilton, ten, of Wibsey, who was scouted by the competition’s organisers while shopping with her family in the city centre earlier this month.
After her moment in the spotlight on a catwalk in the Lower Mall, Keeley said: “I really enjoyed it, it was good fun. It would be great to get through to the finals.”
The event – now in its 11th year – has been organised by the shopping centre in association with the Telegraph & Argus and the DK Model Agency.
It is divided into four age categories – four to six; seven to ten; 11 to 15 and 16 and over – with male and female winners from each age category receiving a share of a £500 shopping voucher prize pot.
This year has also seen the introduction of a new T&A Readers’ Choice category, which will see the finalists put to a public vote.
Amanda Dabrowski, events manager for PR company Messages, said: “It’s very exciting that for the first time the public get to have a say in who wins one of the categories.
“The Readers’ Choice winner won’t have any impact on who the judges pick in the other categories, but it’s great the people of Bradford can have the chance to pick their winner. There’s been a real buzz here today.
“It’s great an event like this can bring the people of Bradford together.”
Photographs of all the finalists will be published in a supplement in the T&A on Friday, May 11, from which readers can select male and female winners from each age category.
Previous winners of Bradford Modelsearch have gone on to model for companies including DFS, Argos, Vidal Sassoon and Sports Direct.
They include seven-year-old Chloe Windle and Mikie Pryce, 14, who have been given jobs including DFS television advertisements.
