A 27-year-old Lincolnshire girl with alopecia has spoken out against the teasing and bullying she endured during her younger years, and how she is turning weakness into strength ahead of her bid to become Miss Great Britain.

Chloe Ashford-Smith, 27, from Grimsby, is the current Miss Lincolnshire after winning the competition in April 2021, and will be representing the county in this year’s Miss Great Britain pageant.

She currently works as a restaurant manager and has a degree in International Relations and Peace Studies, and is now hoping to add Miss Great Britain to her CV.

Chloe was born with alopecia and has had to deal with tragic cases of hair loss throughout her life.

Chloe wants to write her name in the history books as the first person with alopecia or hair loss to win the award, a condition she has suffered with since she was born.

She lost around 80% of her hair a few years ago and has dealt with bullying and verbal abuse her whole life, but she didn’t let that defeat her.

Alopecia has tarnished Chloe her whole life, causing her to lose 80% of her hair.

Reflecting on her difficult journey to today, Chloe told The Lincolnite: “At infant school I was almost mute, I was so scared I was petrified to do anything or speak to anyone. I think this was mainly down to my alopecia which I have suffered with my whole life.

“I was bullied a lot when I was younger by both boys and girls. When I was in infant and junior school I was called egghead, baldie and told I looked like a boy.

“However, when I went through secondary school, as I was finding ways to hide my alopecia (hair extensions, eyelashes), I was then bullied by girls and called fake and Barbie, even though I was only using these beauty products to hide my insecurities in my hair loss.

“I lost my eyebrows and eyelashes during my teenage years too. I had a boyfriend at school who would call me Humpty Dumpty.

“I never felt good enough during my teenage years so to now become Miss Lincolnshire and come this far feels amazing.”

Chloe is gunning for the title of Miss Great Britain this year.

Part of pageantry is getting involved with fundraising for charities as well as impressing the judges with talent rounds, which saw Chloe finish in the top 10 after excelling at figure skating and drawing.

She has been raising money since receiving the Miss Lincolnshire title in April and has so far built up over £2,000 for Cancer Research UK and Alex’s Wish.

Her involvement with charity fundraising has been consistent since winning the award of Miss Lincolnshire.

Being a role model and ambassador is something which Chloe takes very seriously in her position, and she wants to be someone that young people who may have similar conditions to her can look up to.

Chloe said: “I do pageants for fun, but also to show other girls or boys like me that it doesn’t matter what your physical appearance is, whether it be hair loss, scars or anything else.

“You can do anything you set your mind to. Once you start believing in yourself, magical things really do start to happen in your life.

“No matter how you look on the outside, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the person you are in your heart and how you treat people.

“I would love to win Miss Great Britain 2021. I think it would really mean something to everyone out there suffering with some type of condition which present itself physically.

“I do consider myself a role model and ambassador for people like me, and I am so grateful for all the support from friends and strangers.”

If Chloe were to win Miss Great Britain 2021, she would be the second Lincolnshire winner in a row, after the success of Jen Atkin from Grimsby last year.

The finals of Miss Great Britain will take place on Thursday, September 16 and Friday, September 17 in Leicester. Best of luck to Chloe, we will be rooting for you!

Tragedy to triumph: Chloe Ashford-Smith said she never felt good enough during her teenage years, but now she is Miss Lincolnshire.

A woman who owns a horse on Lincoln’s South Common is pleading with people not to feed the animals after another owner’s beloved pet tragically died at the weekend.

Vera, a 14-year-old horse, was owned by a man called John. There are around eight or nine horses left on the South Common now, including one owned by Charlotte Houlden.

Charlotte was called at around 7.30pm on Sunday, August 1 regarding John’s horse Vera, who was down and struggling to get back up again.

She told The Lincolnite the horse had been given cake, bread and carrots that day and that’s only what was known, as more bad items may also have been given to the animal.

Charlotte keeps most of her own horses on a private field, but is angry at the treatment of the ones still on the common. She added that signage she had previously put up at the common has been ripped down.

Horse owners are urging people not to feed their animals on the South Common in Lincoln. | Photo: Charlotte Houlden

Charlotte said: “We quickly assessed the situation and originally thought colic due to her (Vera) sweating and straining. We called her owner who in turned called the vet before rushing to the common himself.

“The couple who called us and their lovely neighbour were there helping us keep the horse nice and calm.

“The vets arrived just after 8pm and and confirmed it wasn’t actually colic going by her bloodshot eyes, shallow breathing and stiff legs. Something had poisoned her and she also went cold very suddenly.

“The vets gave her some pain relief to see if it would help, and we all tried to roll her onto her knees so she could attempt to get up. She did manage it with a lot of encouragement, but was too weak. Her back legs wouldn’t hold her and she was down again in less than 10 seconds.

“At this stage the owner and vets agreed she won’t make it, and I was asked to make the call to John Lord just before 9pm to come and put her to sleep. John humanely dispatches horses and other large animals and is extremely good at his job. He was there within the hour and she was put to sleep using an instantaneous method.

“The last thing she heard was “good girl” and she was gone. The pain relief she received kept her calm and comfortable during the wait.

“She’ll be greatly missed by horse owners and common visitors alike. She was a very loving horse.”

Horses on the South Common in Lincoln. | Photo: Charlotte Houlden

The problem of people feeding horses on the South Common has been ongoing for years and has become even worse during the coronavirus lockdown.

Charlotte added: “It’s a daily occurrence despite signs and people being asked to stop.

“Please don’t feed them anything at all. Give them a good back or neck scratch instead, the horses love that and it’s not something that can kill them like feeding can and has.

“It’s been a slight problem for years but it’s been really bad ever since the first lockdown last year.

“As more people used the common, which is brilliant, unfortunately more people started feeding the horses. Now it’s many people every day and they can be so nasty when asked to stop.

“It’s not just on the commons, it’s happening all over, including private fields.

“We lost a wonderful family pony as a result of someone feeding him. He choked, reared, hit his poll and ended up with severe neurological issues and blindness. He had to be put to sleep, bless him.”

Organisers of the Lincoln Steampunk festival have promised big plans for the event, which could see it branch out to the city centre, after securing a five-year deal to keep it in Lincoln until at least 2026.

The future of the Steampunk festival appeared to be in doubt earlier this year, when organisers announced plans to move the event from Lincoln to Newark for 2021.

These plans were then shelved after Kelham Hall, the primary venue chosen for the Newark event, went into administration. As well as this, Newark & Sherwood District Council confirmed that plans had not been submitted to the local safety advisory group for the festival.

While there will not be a Steampunk event in 2021 due to the ongoing fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, a deal has been struck between organisers, Lincoln BIG, City of Lincoln Council and Lincolnshire County Council to keep the festival in Lincoln for the next five years.

Left to right: John Naylor, Jackie Brockway, Cllr Colin Davie, Cllr Lindsey Cawrey, Lincoln BIG’s Sarah Loftus and Cllr Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The 2022 event will be the first of the agreed deal, which will allow Steampunk to use the uphill area of Lincoln on the castle grounds and the cathedral, but organisers don’t want to stop there.

Plans are apparently in place for there to be Steampunk events in the city centre, including in the Cornhill Quarter, starting next year.

This could eventually lead to the festival branching out to other areas of the county as well as Lincoln itself.

John Naylor is the organiser of the Steampunk festival. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

John Naylor of the Ministry of Steampunk called Lincoln the “spiritual home” of the festival and said he was delighted that it will be returning to the city for years to come.

“The Steampunk festival attracts thousands upon thousands of people every year, and we want it to keep growing and benefitting the city of Lincoln.

“Our hope is to expand the festival across the city, putting Lincoln on the map and making it similar to that of the Edinburgh Fringe.

“We are supremely grateful for the support and encouragement of Lincolnshire County Council, City of Lincoln Council and Lincoln BIG, together with Lincoln Cathedral and our other local partners.”

Steampunk is believed to generate £2.2 million each year for the local economy, so news of its departure to Newark before the eventual cancellation dealt a bitter blow to Lincoln, but the return next year and beyond is being welcomed.

Lindsey Cawrey, executive member for cultural services at LCC, said that securing the future of Steampunk in Lincoln was her first job in the role, and she is relieved to finally be able to share the news with people.

“Talks began with John and other organisers in May and we were eager to keep it in Lincoln. Steampunk is about so much more than just the festival itself, it’s about what it brings to the city as well.

“Hospitality benefits from it, tourism boosts as a result, there’s just so much to do over the four days it is on.

“Signing a five-year deal for the festival is a commitment to Steampunk, making organisers aware how much we value them here in Lincoln.”

Cllr Colin Davie, portfolio holder for economy, echoed the sentiments of Cllr Cawrey, telling The Lincolnite: “It’s great news for the city, we hope it can continue to out Lincoln on the map and perhaps expand across Lincolnshire in the coming years.”