Kemps Hill native in Miss West Indies UK pageant

Twenty-two-year-old Chanel Brown of Kemps Hill in Clarendon is a finalist in the Mr and Miss West Indies United Kingdom (UK) pageant.

Asserting that she is an ambassador for the parish, Brown said she entered the competition with aims of representing the parish that nurtured her throughout her childhood.

"It is extremely important for me to be representing Clarendon because that's where I learnt the core values of my life that have helped to shape me into the woman I am today. I would like to make my family and the parish proud," she said.

Brown, who is of Indian descent, added that the under-representation of the Indo-Caribbean population in the UK fuelled her interest in becoming a part of the competition.

"I also wanted to use the pageant as a platform to start up charitable events as a way to give something back to my island," she said.

Brown, who currently serves as a data analyst in the UK's National Health Services, said that she intends to spearhead the construction of a community centre in Kemps Hill.

"Growing up in Kemps Hill, I spent most of my time playing outside. I realised from an early age that there was not much to do, so that's when I realised I wanted to open a community centre there for the youths," she said.

Brown, who is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology and criminology, has plans to return to the island next year with hopes of implementing strategies to aid in the reduction of unemployment in the parish.

"I have heard it (Clarendon) is not doing so well so I wanted to possibly have a meeting with a few businesses while there to see if there is anything that can be done to possibly create new forms of business to help lower the rate of joblessness there," she said.

Brown will be vying for the title of Miss West Indies UK on December 1.