A JOHNSTONE woman with autism who has reached the finals of two beauty contests is hoping her success will inspire others.
Rosabelle DeLune, 25, will represent Renfrewshire at the UK’s National Miss and Miss Pageant Girl UK competitions taking place in Manchester in July.
She will also be hosting a charity fundraising event in Paisley one week before the pageants.
Disney fan Rosabelle told The Gazette: “The event is called The Ice Queen’s Summertime Snow Ball and is a Frozen princess-themed family event.
“Activities will include princess story time, colouring, singing with the princess and a raffle with princess-themed prizes.
“All proceeds from the event will go to the National Autistic Society, which aims to improve the lives of autistic people and their families and carers.
“I chose this charity because I am autistic and I want to inspire other autistic people like myself to follow and achieve their ambitions.”
Rosabelle decided to organise the local event after learning that other pageant contestants are hosting various fundraisers in their communities.
She said: “I wanted to do something as well and thought I would select a charity that is close to my heart.
“I applied for the pageants completely on a whim, as it was something I found while browsing on the internet and thought ‘Why not?’
“I was surprised to have been selected to represent Renfrewshire and I’m a little nervous, as I’ve never taken part in anything like this before.”
Rosabelle, who is originally from the Highlands, has recently started performing as various fairytale princesses at children’s birthday parties and other events.
She said: “As I’m autistic, I find it difficult doing more ‘normal’ jobs but I think being an entertainer is something I’m good at.
“I’ve got around six characters in my princess repertoire right now – Anna and Elsa from Frozen, Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
“In the future, I’m hoping to do Merida from Brave, Ariel from The Little Mermaid and possibly some non-Disney characters, such as Princess Peach from Super Mario.
“I feel like the magic of entering a fairytale world, almost like escaping reality, is what appeals to me the most about princesses.”
Rosabelle’s fundraising event will take place at the Southend Action Centre, in Stock Street, Paisley, on Saturday, June 25, starting at 1pm.
For more details or to book tickets, visit facebook.com/EnchantedGardenPrincess.
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