History was made in Wales, part of the United Kingdom, when Darcey Corria was crowned Miss Wales.

Corria is 21 and of mixed Welsh and Jamaican heritage.

She is not the first woman of colour to win the Miss Wales pageant.

In 1997, Melanie Jones, who had a white father and black mother, was crowned Miss Wales. She died in 2018 and suffered with post-natal depression. She was a heavy drinker and her cause of death was put down to Fatty Liver Disease.

After coming away the winner, Corria said: “I understand the significance and the importance of my crowning moment. I think it’s extremely important for young women living in Wales who are of mixed ethnicity or Black or Asian to feel like they are represented in every aspect of life.

“Young women, especially younger girls, will feel that there is somebody that they can relate to in the media which is something that I really struggled with when I was growing up. I really couldn’t relate to anybody.”

Corria has played an active role in seeking to change anti-racism legislation in Wales and has participated in initiatives to better integrate Blacks and Asians into the wider Welsh communities. She is known for leading the charge on anti-racism marches across Wales.

“I was involved in the Black Lives Matter march a couple of years ago. There was a march against racism about three or four months ago and I actually ended up on the mic and really getting everybody rallied and involved in that and that was absolutely amazing, I felt really empowered,” an ebullient Corria told the BBC.

Corria is from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. Her father is Jamaican. She will now go on to represent Wales at the Miss World pageant. She has worked for Race Equality First, a nonprofit organisation and Dementia Friends.