Derry mum organises mental health pageant while working full time

The 38-year-old Derry woman has a full-time job, a husband, two children, two books to write and has been battling mental health issues for the last decade. Remarkably, however, she still finds time to organise an inspirational, inclusive annual event which raises not only awareness of mental health issues, but phenomenal amounts of money.

“It’s my other full-time job,” said Jennifer, who is a marketing campaign specialist at Northern Irish full fibre broadband provider Fibrus.

This one-woman-band devotes her lunchtimes and evenings to a Derry-based pageant that is now in its third year and is open to people of all ages and sizes and focuses on boosting confidence and self-esteem, empowerment and friendship.

“Our 50 finalists range in age from one year old to their sixties, and they’re now coming from all over the UK and Ireland,” she said.

“There are 16 different categories and people are judged by, among others, previous winners and sponsors on things like their confidence and stage presence.”

A different charity is nominated each year, the first one being Me4Mental, which received £11,500. Last year the main benefactor was Foyle Search and Rescue, for whom £16,500 was raised.

Sadly, not long after Foyle Search and Rescue was nominated, they recovered missing male model Emmette Dillon, who passed away in 2021.

The popular 33-year-old from the Crawford Square area of the city was a good friend of Jennifer’s.

“Emmette was very into the local pageant scene, and that made what we were doing back then even more poignant,” she said.

“Last year I created a special prize – the Emmette Dillon Mental Health Champion Award in his honour.”

This year’s chosen charities are PIPS suicide awareness group and Newpin, which helps parents suffering from depression and isolation. Having been a judge in other pageants such as the Miss Earth Northern Ireland finals when she was in her early 30s, Jennifer ‘crossed to the other side’ as a contestant in the Mrs Ireland 2018 competition in Dublin – which, much to her surprise and delight, she won.

It was the inclusivity of the event which appealed to her; welcoming people of all shapes, backgrounds and sizes.

“You’re not judged on beauty. I’m not a size eight anymore,” she said. “It was that experience that inspired me to create Shining Light.”

Jennifer, who has been married to Chris for the last 13 years, said she began suffering from mental health issues herself when the couple’s son Zachary, who is now 11, was born. They now have a young daughter, Daisy, who is 18 months old.

Kris, an assistant programme manager, is a hero to his indefatigable wife: “I have a wonderful husband; housework, cooking, number one daddy. His life revolves around our children.”

This year’s final will be held on April 1 – and preparations for the following year’s event will begin the next day.

“It really is a 365-day-a-year vocation,” said Jennifer. “No sooner is one over, but enquiries begin about the next one. But I’m totally committed to this.”

Having taken seven years to finish her first book The Blue Boathouse – described by the author as a “ghost, love story mystery” inspired by the old Prehen Boathouse – its two sequels will have to wait. There are only so many hours in a day, even for Jennifer.

This year’s Shining Light pageant takes place in Derry on April 1.