Chiswick Resident Selected As Deputy Miss England

Domenique Fragale will focus on raising awareness of cancer and mental health issues

Chiswick resident and graduate of ArtsEd, Domenique Fragale, has been selected as deputy Miss England at the finals in Newcastle.

25-year-old Domenique came to Chiswick in 2012 to study at ArtsEd in Bath Road.

"I was 18 and I was petrified of moving to the big city. I was so lucky to get to live in Chiswick, it's so leafy and yet so close to the centre of London. I love living in such a friendly community."

Domenique graduated in 2015 with a BA (Hons) in Media, Writing and Performance in TV, radio, film, stage and improvisation. She intends to continue her media and charity work with a focus on cancer charities, anti-bullying campaigns and mental health for young people .

There were 20,000 entries for the Miss England contest, which was then reduced to 55 finalists and whittled down to 20 contestants for the final.

For her entry in the eco-wear round, she wore a dress made from scratch – from material purchased in charity shop, Mind, and curtain material used by her great-great grandmother to black out her house during the Blitz.

Friends and neighbours have been congratulating her on her success in her favourite local haunts of Gails cafe, and the Roebuck. She added that Wheelers Garden centre had been very supportive of her charity fundraising, donating vouchers for raffles.

Domenique has been fundraising for charity for several years. When her father was diagnosed with leukaemia 17 years ago, he was given ten years to live. But thanks to the then experimental drug Glivec, he survived and the family have raised over £50,000 for leukaemia charities.

At the age of 13, after being a victim of bullying, she helped write and work on a short anti-bullying film (“Wednesday’s Child”) which was showcased to schools nationwide to tackle bullying and gun crime.

She is a recipient of a Princess Diana Award for her work against bullying in schools and is an Ambassador for the Foundation as well as with the Disney Head Office Mental Health Trust, She recently visited Hammersmith Hospital to present children with gifts donated by the Disney Trust..

“Now that the finals are over, that does not mean my efforts are. I’ve been involved with charity work since I was a child. I vow to continue to work hard every single day to educate, encourage and empower the women and girls of today to be the best they possibly can be and speak about the importance of their mental health. No one is truly alone and I promise to make the difference in the country I am so proud to call my home,” said Domenique .

The winner of the Miss England contest was Bhasha Mukherjee, a 23-year-old junior doctor from Derby, who will now go on to compete at Miss World final in London on 14 December.

A total of £35,000 was raised between all 55 finalists for The Chronicle Sunshine Fund over the past couple of months leading to the Miss England Final.

August 12, 2019