A Wisbech student with a special message has been plucked from entries to be crowned this year’s Rose Queen.
Seventeen-year-old Ella Stanier, a sixth-former at Meadowgate Academy, wowed the judges with her desire to spread the word about living with Type 1 diabetes and the urge to encourage others to overcome life’s challenges.
Ella, who lives in Turves, but spends most of her time in Wisbech attending the local school as well as taking part in performances with Ratz theatre company at the Angles Theatre and joining in classes with LJ’s Dance Academy in West Walton.
She told judges that becoming Rose Queen and to head the Rose Fair parade on Saturday, June 29, would be a dream come true.
She is an animal lover and counts a dog, five guinea pigs, three horses, a goat and a donkey as her pets.
Ella explained she attends Meadowgate as a result of her learning difficulties, anxiety and Type 1 diabetes.
She was diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago and wears a continuous glucose monitor, which constantly scans her blood glucose levels.
“I would like to bring awareness of Type 1 diabetes in children and teenagers, I wear a GCM which is constantly scanning my blood glucose levels and alerting me if my levels become too low or too high. I also wear an insulin pump which delivers insulin,” she said.
Ella continued: “I used to hide my diabetes as people would say things like ‘did you eat too much sugar?’, ‘did you used to be fat?’ and your pump makes you look ugly, but now I am proud to be Type 1 diabetic. I do not let my condition stop me from doing anything I want to do and I want to inspire others to do the same.
“i have experienced bullying and I have let other people’s unkind comments get me down but I am keen to show people that although some of us face more challenges than others, it only makes us stronger.
“People are sometimes surprised when they discover I attend Meadowgate Academy as they have a vision that everyone looks ‘disabled’ but not all disabilities are visible and we don’t always know how someone is feeling on the inside which is why it’s important to just be kind always.”
Ella’s dream once she leaves school is to work with children to help them overcome difficulties and added: “Like I have been lucky enough to have such amazing people help me.”
Ella said this year’s Rose Fair theme of The Sixties is important to her because she lost her grandad in 2019 and he was her hero and he loved the sixties and used to tell stories and singing and dancing to music from that era.
She said: “Grandad told me stories of the carnivals and all the floats and the fair queens. It really would be a dream come to true to become Rose Queen 2024.”
Ella was award a cash prize of £100, kindly donated by AER Electrical Services Ltd, and a trophy and prior to the event can look forward to
having her hair styled by The Retreat, a manicure by Evie from the Lash and Beauty Lounge, and make-up by Eboni Rose Make-up, as well as a beautiful dress to wear.
