For Sophie Mitchell (Class of 2019), life since leaving Trent has taken her in some unexpected, and increasingly successful, directions.

After graduating from Sheffield Hallam University in 2022 with a degree in Criminology & Psychology, Sophie went on to establish her own business, Barn Farm Doggy Daycare, from her family’s farm in Derbyshire. Alongside caring for her four-legged clients, she has continued to pursue her passion for horses, competing at a higher level than she did during her school days.

And now, there is another title in sight.

“I own 7 horses and I love mushy peas!” Sophie's Miss England 'fun fact'

Having recently been crowned Miss Derbyshire, Sophie has taken the next step towards her ambition of becoming Miss England. She went on to win the Miss People’s Choice Award, after receiving the highest number of public votes, qualifying her for the final round of Miss England. She also was placed second in the talent round of Miss England, where she performed Coat of Many Colours as a tribute to Dolly Parton. This means she has now secured her place in the Miss England Final, to be held in Leicester on 17 November 2026.

“Qualifying for Miss England is such a huge honour and privilege. I’m so excited for the rest of my pageantry career and where it takes me!”

A life with animals

Sophie’s working life is firmly rooted in the outdoors.

At Barn Farm Doggy Daycare, Sophie looks after active dogs from her home in Derbyshire, while her equestrian commitments see her spending plenty of time around horses, including Assagart Divine, fondly known as ‘Mel’, who is jointly owned by Sophie and her mum, Laura.

      
Barn Farm Doggy Day-Care 'Star of the Week' & Pool Day

The partnership has gone from strength to strength. Assagart Divine has the most successful showing record of all the Intermediate Show Hunters in Derbyshire, and the pair have now qualified for the Horse of the Year Show for the second consecutive year. At last year’s competition, Assagart Divine finished sixth in the country.

    
Sophie & Assagart Divine, Horse of the Year Show 2025 (left) | Sophie & Assagart Divine National Pony Society Championships 2026 (1st & Champion, Qualifying for Horse of the Year Show) (right)

Sophie has also achieved success away from the show ring. In July, she was crowned the national winner of the British Show Pony Society’s Young Judges competition, an achievement that reflects not only her experience as a competitor but her growing knowledge and expertise within the sport.

“Mel [Assagart Divine] is my entire world; everything I do is for my girl, she has taught me so much and I am forever grateful for her.”

But while horses and dogs occupy a significant part of Sophie’s working life, there is another side to her personality that has perhaps been less obvious to those who know her only through her equestrian achievements.

      
Sophie at the British Show Pony Society 2025 Area 4a presentation evening (left) | British Show Pony Society Young Judges Winner 2025 (right)

More than meets the eye

Sophie has been singing for much of her life, beginning at the age of six when she performed for her grandmother in her parish church. She later joined the Television Workshop, in Nottingham, where she developed her interest in performance, and was awarded a Drama Scholarship at Trent: “Drama has always been a huge part of who I am; my favourite production I took part in was the Eidelweiss Pirates which I will always remember.”

Sophie also has fond memories of her teacher, Director of Drama, Donnaleigh Ward:

“Mrs Ward was always a huge inspiration to me. I wanted to be an actress just like her.”

These experiences are now coming full circle through the opportunity to participate in Miss England.  She also enjoys performing for her audience at Barn Farm Doggy Daycare, entertaining her canine guests:

“I have put on performances as Dolly Parton, Michael Jackson and Paddy McGuinness for the dogs. No, I am not joking!”

It is a wonderfully fitting glimpse of Sophie’s personality; she clearly enjoys performing, doesn't take herself too seriously and is happy to embrace the unexpected.

“Drama at Trent helped my confidence no end.”

And there is something else that makes her story distinctive. The same person who can spend the morning mucking out horses and caring for energetic dogs can also spend the evening preparing for a beauty competition. For Sophie, those worlds do not need to be kept separate.

Why Miss England?

Over the years, Sophie has received backlash online because of the way she looks, with people making assumptions about her personality, abilities and lifestyle purely based on her appearance.

Rather than allowing those comments to discourage her, they became part of the motivation for entering Miss England.

Sophie wanted to challenge the stereotypes surrounding both beauty pageants and women working in traditionally outdoorsy, hands-on environments.

Her message is particularly focused on young women and the idea that femininity and ambition do not have to be opposing ideas.

“I want young girls to know that they don’t have to choose between being feminine and being taken seriously.”

For Sophie, there is no contradiction between loving make-up and fashion and being hardworking; between looking glamorous and working with animals or between an evening gown and a pair of muddy wellies!

“You can wear muddy wellies in the morning and an evening gown at night.”

Her experience has reinforced her belief that women should feel able to pursue whatever interests, hobbies or careers they are passionate about without feeling the need to change how they look to fit somebody else’s expectations.

“You can be glamorous and still be perfectly capable of getting your hands dirty.”

      
Miss Derbyshire 2026 & Peoples Choice Winner

From Trent to where she is today

Looking back on her time at Trent, Sophie particularly remembers her boarding experience in Martin House: “One of my favourite parts of school was boarding, being part of Martin House was absolutely brilliant, I will treasure those days forever.”

"Martin House was absolutely brilliant, I will treasure those days forever"

She also reflects on the opportunities her parents have made possible: “I will always be most grateful to my parents, who have made it possible for me to be in reach of these opportunities.”

Sophie & Assagart Divine with her parents, Laura & Nick Mitchell

Since leaving school, she has developed a career and lifestyle that brings together entrepreneurship, equestrian sport, performance and now the world of beauty pageants.

The Miss England journey

Having been crowned Miss Derbyshire earlier in October, and speaking about her journey on BBC Radio Derby, qualifying for the Miss England final is the latest stage in what has already been an exciting year for Sophie.

Sophie explains: “There were several audition processes I had to go through to qualify for the competition, which involved videos of me cat walking, singing and being interviewed.”

“I entered Miss England with a view to helping to spread the message of positivity.”

But reaching the final is not simply about walking onto a stage in an evening gown: “I entered Miss England with a view to helping to spread the message of positivity regarding how women should be perceived when they choose to do something.”

For Sophie, preparation has meant finding a way to bring together the different parts of who she is; her confidence as a performer, her experience in the equestrian world, her life running a business and her desire to challenge assumptions about women and appearance.

“I feel like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life; a lifetime of performing not only on stage but in the ring on my horse has helped me to prepare for the final.”

      
Miss England Qualifying Round (left) | Miss England Talent Round (right)

What comes next?

With a place secured in the Miss England Final, another Horse of the Year Show qualification under her belt, a national Young Judges title and a successful doggy day-care business to run, Sophie has plenty to look forward to: “I am hoping to win one of the rounds in the next Miss England competition, which will qualify me through to the final 12 of the competition. One of us will be chosen to represent England at the Miss World final in Tanzania.”

“I hope that Barn Farm Doggy Day-care will continue to thrive, as I have many more performances to give! As for my horses, I want to continue breeding beautiful foals that go on to have successful Showing and Show Jumping careers.”

“I am so excited, I am performing Dolly Parton’s Here You Go Again!”

Whatever happens next, Sophie has already demonstrated that there is no single way to build a successful life, and certainly no requirement to choose between looking glamorous and getting your hands dirty.

From the farm to the show ring and now the Miss England stage, her journey is a reminder that the things that make us different do not have to be kept in separate boxes, and perhaps that is the message Sophie most wants young women to take from her story:

“You don't have to fit somebody else's idea of who you should be. You can create your own.”

We wish Sophie the best of luck on 17 November, for the Miss England final, and everything that follows on for her; on the farm, in the show ring and on the stage!