Mum-of-two brings home Miss Amiable title

Sarah Sakala won the Miss Amiable title

A single mother of two who decided to enter Miss Africa GB has said she was "delighted" to bring back the Miss Amiable title.

Sarah Sakala, from Tilehurst, Berkshire, runs Sakala Cleaning Services said she entered the competition to inspire women to follow their dreams.

The judges felt she presented herself in a positive and inspirational way, so awarded her the Miss Amiable title.

She said it was "a fantastic experience” to represent Reading at the Miss Africa GB event in Bromley, Kent.

Ms Sakala moved to England from Zambia aged 14, and said she had "always loved watching pageants and imagined what it would be like to join one".

"I'm so glad I was brave and went for it," she said.

She also said pageantry is more involved than people think and the "whole process" taught her a lot.

"You have to have a great mindset as well as intelligence," she said.

Sarah Sakala said she wanted to inspire other women

Ms Sakala said that although she was nervous competing against hundreds of woman, she decide to just be herself.

She said: “Just to be involved was special, but to win one of the awards made it even memorable.”

Ms Sakala went straight back to running her cleaning business after the pageant, but said she wanted to use her experience at the Miss Africa GB pageant to help other women.

“One of my main aims was to send out a message to women of all ages that they can do remarkable things if they put their mind to it," she said.

“I am immensely grateful to have been able to represent Reading and to come back with more drive and perseverance to continue making a change in my home town.”