Queen of Style: Elegance, Courage, and Heart.

Kelso Races Ladies Day – Sunday 24th May 2026

I've finally found a quiet moment to sit down and reflect on last Sunday's Ladies Day at Kelso Races, after what has been a whirlwind of events and organising.

As always, Kelso delivered a fantastic atmosphere. The weather was glorious, the crowd was relaxed, and there was a real sense of people coming together to enjoy a special day.

Everyone looked absolutely stunning. Elegant dresses, beautiful hats, and plenty of personal style made the judging process both enjoyable and incredibly difficult. The Style Squad had no shortage of worthy contenders, but one lady stood out to me.

Her name was Alison.

She looked effortlessly elegant and completely at ease in her outfit, classy, stylish, and radiant. When the time came to choose our winner, Alison felt like the perfect choice.

What I didn't expect, however, was the wave of emotion I would feel around our Best Dressed competition. At the time, I couldn't quite explain why.

The following day, Alison contacted me on Instagram to thank me. She told me that her story was very different from the confident, smiling woman we had all seen on the catwalk. Behind her grace and composure was a journey of heartbreak, courage, and remarkable strength.

I asked Alison if she would be willing to put her experience into words so that I could share it with others. Thankfully, she agreed.

Before you read on, I should probably offer a gentle warning:

You may want to have the tissues ready.

Our final three, with Alison featured in ivory.

Words from Alison Finnie, shared with permission.

Winning Queen of Style 2026 was something I never imagined in a million years - and what makes it even more emotional is that the judges didn’t know my story when they picked me.

The old version of me would never have attended an event like this. I would have dreaded finding an outfit, hated the thought of being photographed, and spent the whole day worrying about what people thought of me instead of enjoying myself.


In 2023, after years of struggling with my weight and confidence, I made the life-changing decision to have gastric sleeve surgery. Since then, I’ve lost 13 stone, and had some of my loose skin removed. But the biggest transformation hasn’t just been physical, it’s been mental.For the first time in my life, I feel confident, classy and comfortable in my own skin.


What people don’t see is that my journey started from an incredibly painful place. In 2022, my darling husband Stu was tragically killed in a car accident, and my entire world changed overnight. Losing him was devastating, and navigating grief was something I never thought I’d survive.


After losing Stu, I realised how precious and fragile life really is. I knew I couldn’t continue existing so unhappy and so unhealthy. I owed it to myself - and honestly to him too - to start living again instead of just getting through the days.

That decision changed everything.

Somewhere amongst the grief, healing, weight loss and rebuilding my confidence, I slowly found myself again. Then in 2024, I found Greg - the man who brought laughter and happiness back into my life when I genuinely didn’t think that was possible anymore, and we’re getting married this July. Although I think winning Queen of Style may now become my entire personality and he’ll absolutely never hear the end of it 

Standing on that catwalk at Kelso, surrounded by so many stunning women, already felt like a win to me. But hearing my name called was overwhelming in the best possible way. Not because of a title, but because of what it represented. To other people it might just look like a girl winning a competition at the races. To me, it was proof of how far I’ve come.

From grief to happiness.

From hiding away to standing proudly in front of a crowd.

From surviving to finally living.

And that means everything to me.