Maternal beauty was in evidence when glamour queens with children of their own visited the Ursuline Sisters Crèche in Sliema.

The beauty queens had come from Russia and elsewhere to take part in the Queen of the Planet 2012 and Mrs Russia 2012 beauty contests for mothers, held in Malta for the first time.

During their visit to the Ursuline Sisters Crèche on October 24, the model mums handed over gifts and financial donations they had collected through sponsorship or paid for themselves.

Participants from Russia also brought drawings from children in orphanages in their own towns as a further goodwill gesture.

“We encourage our participants to give up some time for children without parents in their everyday lives and we are proud of the positive response we get,” said Ekaterina Camilleri-Markina, managing director of organiser Women’s Planet.

The charitable arm of Women’s Planet had previously focused largely on children’s charities in Russia. It is now also keenly supporting the Ursuline Sisters Crèche, where nuns take care of children up to four years old, whose parents are unable to care for them at home.

Dorianne Camilleri, a Maltese mother of one who came second in the Queen of the Planet contest, has been particularly active in garnering support for the Ursuline Sisters Crèche. Third placed Yu Mei Zhang from China also donated generously.

The mother-only beauty contests ran from October 20 to 26 at the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Floriana. It was the inaugural Queen of the Planet contest, while the Mrs Russia contest had never taken place outside Russia before.

“We had a few difficulties getting support from local businesses but we still plan to hold the events in Malta again next year,” said Ms Camilleri-Markina, who has lived on the island for three years and is married to a Maltese man. In total, 40 women took part, with participants hailing from 16 countries, including far-flung destinations such as Iran and Japan.

The Queen of the Planet contest was won by Lithuanian mum-of-one Alena Vasilaite while Mrs Russia was won by mum-of-two Inna Zhirkova, wife of former Chelsea footballer Yuri Zhirkov.

As well as the usual requirements for beauty contests, participants were judged on their charity work.

Music stars Kurt Calleja, Ira Losco and Chiara performed during the event.