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Mancunian wa-hey

25/ 3/2008

TWO Rochdale stunners are hoping that a Miss Manchester beauty contest will propel them into supermodel stardom.

Leanne Roddy and Laura Percival are keeping their fingers crossed that they’ll reach the final stages of the prestigious contest.

Littleborough lass Leanne, who works at Manchester Airport, is following in the footsteps of her sister Gemma, who came third in the competition in 2006 even appeared on Sky Sports’ Soccer AM as a Soccerette.

Now it’s 18-year-old Leanne’s turn to represent the Roddy family and her proud sister will be cheering her on if she reaches the final.

Leanne and Laura are appealing for the support of Observer readers to help them beat off competition from hundreds of other hopefuls via a text vote.

Office worker Laura, aged 22, from Shawclough, said: "This is the first thing I’ve ever done even though I’ve had pictures taken before.

"Leanne entered last year and got through to the final 40 girls which was a really good achievement but she’s hoping to do even better.

"We sent our pictures and details to the competition and they were selected and put on the Miss Manchester website.

"The voting has just started so we really need your help. The 40 girls with the most votes will go through to the final at the Palace nightclub in Manchester on 1 May.

"Hopefully, we’ll do well and it’ll be a good experience for us. We think we’ve got what it takes to get through and our families think the same."

The winner of the Miss Manchester final will be given automatic entry into the Miss England tournament along with a special photo-shoot and a management contract.

For voting details, visit the official website at www.missmanchester.net