A local mother reminisces about her daughter winning the Miss Pear title in 1982, a cherished memory for the community and family.
Barry: We chatted with a local mom whose daughter, Ellie Greenberg, was crowned ‘Miss Pear Soap 1982.’ It’s such a sweet story!
If you’re not familiar with Pear’s soap, let me fill you in. It’s that orange, oval soap you see in UK shops. Super popular!
Back in the day, the company, which started in 1807, held these cute ‘Miss Pear’ contests for girls aged 3-9. They’d pick a winner each year, and it was a big deal.
Ceri-Jayne Case, now 67, shared how Ellie won the title at just three years old, beating out 25,000 other entries. Can you believe that?
Ceri said, “I always thought she looked special, but all moms do. A friend suggested we enter, and I was hesitant, but Ellie went for it.”
They picked up a leaflet at Boots, snapped a picture, and sent it in with the soap packet. Next thing they knew, Ellie was in the regional finals!
They even traveled to London and met at the fancy Savoy Hotel. Ceri was amazed by the other girls, thinking they were all beautiful, but she believed in Ellie too.
It wasn’t until she saw Ellie on TV that she thought, “Wow, she might actually win this!”
When they returned home, the mayor of Barry threw a street party to celebrate Ellie’s win. What a lovely surprise!
Interestingly, on the day Ellie won, Ceri was in labor with her second child. She joked about wanting to cross the Severn Bridge so her baby could be Welsh!
It seems pageant skills run in the family. Ceri was also crowned Barry Carnival Queen twice in her youth, once in 1977 and again in 1979.
What a memorable piece of Barry history this is!
