MISS WORLD 2009 - OFFICIAL COVERAGE - 10/12

MISS WORLD NEWS

An incredible evening for Miss World as 2009 contestants are officially unveiled

Miss World ladies help to raise over $400,000 for Variety International Children's Fund

On Monday night 120 Miss World nations came together for the Miss World Charity Dinner, in aid of the Variety International Children’s Fund. Guests were invited to The Grosvenor House Hotel in London for a fantastic evening of world class entertainment to see this year’s Miss World contestants introduced on stage for the first time.

Invited guests were amazed by the spectacular display of auction gifts brought in by this year’s Miss World finalists as they arrived.

Before dinner was served the Miss World contestants were presented on stage in their groups before joining guests at their tables for dinner. As guests dined giant screens showcased what a spectacular Miss World final destination Johannesburg will be.

The Wycombe Orpheus choir entertained guests as they ate their first course before Lindiwe Mahlangu CEO of Johannesburg Tourism Company, gave a speech expressing Johannesburg’s excitement at staging this year’s Miss World and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The Charity Auction was the highlight of the night with gifts from competing countries going under the hammer. This year’s gifts were the best we have ever seen with a luxury holiday from Bahamas and a surfboard from the USA proving popular with the guests. Other incredible prizes included a rare necklace from New Zealand and signed Usain Bolt running shoes from Jamaica which added an incredible $13,000 to the monies raised for Variety International Children’s Fund.

The cast of Grease the musical closed the evening with a selection of songs from the one of the most popular shows currently gracing the West End stage. All contestants had a memorable evening and helped to raise an amazing total of $450,000 for the Variety International Children’s fund.

Sightseeing trip for Miss World contestants

To see London's famous landmarks

This year’s Miss World contestants were taken on a special trip around London to see the city’s famous sites. On Saturday all of this year’s national representatives were taken on three full coaches to see the sights during their stay in London.

Highlights of the tour included a trip to Parliament Square where they saw the Houses of Parliament, Nelson’s Column and South Africa House. “It was great to see symbols of my home country, especially Nelson’s Column” said South Africa.

The coach then drove past Westminster Abbey for more pictures before heading for Buckingham Palace. “All the girls got out and took pictures, it was really amazing to see where the queen of England lives!” said Sierra Leone.

It is a wonderful building and great to see it up close” said Malta.
“The history of London is so special, and the architecture very interesting” said Sierra Leone.

The girls then travelled up to St. Paul’s Cathedral in the city, going past Piccadilly Circus and over Tower Bridge before heading back to their hotel for a special awards dinner.