A young woman who found a lifeline in care as a child is championing local authority fostering as she heads to the finals of Miss Universe Great Britain.
Mary Ainsworth, who lives in Wrexham, will be competing in the national event at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff, on July 26 with the winner going on to represent Great Britain at the global Miss Universe pageant.
The 31-year-old is an Alumni and Advancement Officer at Wrexham University and spearheads numerous fundraising efforts, including her most recent support of Miss Universe’ A-Sisterhood, which funds numerous women’s charities such as Welsh Women’s Aid, Llamau and Smalls For All in the UK. As a talented fine artist, Mary has also raised money for charities through her businesses Your Pet Portraits and Ainsworth Art.
Mary’s community work extends to supporting foster care charities Comfort Cases UK and The Fostering Network. Last year she organised a collection drive with Wrexham University as part of the institution’s civic mission to support marginalised groups.
Mary sadly lost her father at the age of three and her first experience of foster care came when she was five, lasting about two years.
“I loved it,” Mary said. “I had everything that I needed and my first set of foster carers were amazing.
“I spoke to my carer last year. She told me the only clothes I went in with were the clothes I was wearing and I had a little bag of colouring pencils I wouldn’t let go of.
“Amanda and Eddie made me feel so welcome. I look back knowing they genuinely cared, and even to this day they still do.”
Mary went into foster care for a second time when she was aged 11. It was during this time she began to view her time in school as a “lifeline”, deciding that she wanted to excel and go to university. She went on to gain her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Wrexham University in Fine Art where she also found her career.
“I would go to school early in the morning and stay there in the library as long as I could until I had to go home for food,” she said. “I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have school. Don’t get me wrong I wasn’t the most popular kid, I was very socially awkward. Education really was a lifeline for me, I’ll never forget the kindness of strangers supporting me through my experiences.”
As a proud care experienced young person, Mary said she wants to encourage people to consider becoming a foster carer.
“Children need consistent role models for them to thrive and open communication where they feel safe enough to talk about anything as they get older,” Mary said. “They need to feel safe enough to say I made a mistake or I did something wrong, or I need help. These are all things I’ve struggled with, even now. My aim now is to help children feel heard when decisions are made about their care.”
Mary said her path to Miss Universe Great Britain has been made possible by her sponsors.
“It’s a privilege to be aligned with such forward-thinking organisations who believe in social responsibility,” she said. “Their support allows me to amplify causes I care about alongside Miss Universe and A-Sisterhood, and I’m truly grateful.”
Alastair Cope, head of Foster Wales, said: “We wish Mary all the luck at the Miss Universe GB finals and thank her for being such a great role model for other care experienced young people.
“Fostering can provide the foundation of support that children need to go on to live successful independent lives. Every fostering journey relies on strong, trusting relationships to create the stability within a loving home that all children deserve.”
