On Sunday 8th October 2023, Carys Havard, 20, a Keele University third year medical student from Crickhowell walked away with the prestigious title of Miss Earth Wales 2023.
Carys will be flying to Vietnam to represent Wales at the grand slam competition, Miss Earth 2023 later this year. She will be sharing this once in a lifetime experience with roughly 117 other contestants from around the world! That's a lot of international pageant sisters!
As a competitive swimmer from the age of 12 reaching Welsh national level for years consecutively and training up to 9 time a week. Her sporting aspirations were halted by a serious respiratory condition which was causing her to faint in the water.
After a long battle to find the cause, she was finally diagnosed with laryngomalacia after years of desperately struggling for breath while in the pool.
“I’d start swimming and when I’d get out of breath and wheeze, everyone thought it was asthma, and so did I,”
Whilst looking for the diagnosis, Carys was even accused of fabricating her condition,
"I was told I was faking my condition and being lazy. People started not to believe me and in my head I actually started to ask myself whether I was making it up without realising."
Since her diagnosis, she advocates for those with invisible illnesses and patients seeking a second opinion in the medical field.
Being a medical student and competitive swimmer, Carys is passionate about creating a healthier AND greener world.
Her experience with public health combined with her love for the planet has inspired her to promote sustainable solutions within hospitals and clinics. She aims to reduce the about of wasted single use plastics (masks, aprons, gloves etc) and educate others on eco friendly alternatives and practices within healthcare.
In true Miss Earth tradition, we also saw the crowning of 3 more queens:
Miss Earth Wales Air 2023- Myome Mortimer-Davies,
Miss Earth Wales Water 2023- Rosa May Gurnett
Miss Earth Wales Fire 2023- Poppy Rebecca Davies
Myome Mortimer-Davies Rosa May Gurnett Poppy Rebecca Davies
In true Miss Earth tradition, each Elemental Queen will reign in her own right representing the Miss Earth Wales Organisation over the next few months.
We look forward to working with all four of our first ever Miss Earth Wales Queens and preparing Carys for Miss Earth in Vietnam later this year.
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