Victoria Patterson
Finalist: Debbie Patterson with Miss Ireland
Debbie Patterson with her daughter Victoria
Victoria Patterson
Victoria Patterson 10.jpg
Victoria Patterson 9.jpg
Miss Northern Ireland finalist Victoria Patterson will have a secret weapon with her at next week's final - her model mum.
he 18-year-old ‘A’ Level student will be able to pick mum Debbie’s brain because she took part in Miss Ireland almost 30 years ago.
Victoria, who will go head-to-head with 25 other finalists in eight days time, says her mum has been very supportive.
“Mum took part in Miss Ireland – there was no Miss Northern Ireland then – and she finished in the top seven,” says the Holywood girl.
“I’m not expecting to do as well as her – I’m just delighted to get to the final.
“She has supported me really well and I’ll certainly be calling on that support and experience next week.
“Being in Miss Ireland opened a lot of doors for my mum and it’s that aspect that she has been telling me could be very good for my future.”
The future is something that Victoria appears to already have sewn up.
After completing her exams in geography, politics and business studies she’s planning to go to the University of Ulster to study Applied Business Management.
“I’d like to get into property developing and run my own business,” says the Victoria College pupil.
She’s a trained scuba-diver and skier and has already done some PR work with Cathy Martin’s group.
And it’s exactly this kind of work mum Debbie says Miss Northern Ireland can help her in.
“It’s almost 30 years when I started doing beauty pageants, But it was a fantastic experience which helped open a lot of doors for me. It gave me a lot of opportunities and most importantly I made so many good friends.
“I always enjoyed my PR and modelling days and it’s fantastic now that Victoria is doing so well at it", says 47-year-old Debbie.
“It will help build her confidence and hopefully it will be good to have a mum who can give her some insight into what to expect.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be much use to her – things have changed a lot since my day. It’s a lot bigger and better organised now.
Miss Ireland certainly did Debbie no harm. She runs two hair and beauty salons in Belfast and employs 40 staff.
“Victoria didn’t even tell me she was entering but now she has got to the final it’s brilliant,” adds Debbie.
“She’s quite confident and she’s prepared to get out there and push herself and that’s great.
“The thought of a 9-5 desk job never appealed to me and I don’t think it would suit Victoria either.
“The whole family will be there to support her and there’s no pressure on her from us.
“If she doesn’t get placed she’s done brilliantly to get this far and I’m very proud of her.”
The Miss Northern Ireland Final will take place at the Europa Hotel on Monday May 13.