The finalists in this year's Miss Leicestershire competition will be lining up later this month in the hope of winning a place in the national final.

An event at Welford Road Stadium will see one woman take the county's crown, and with it a place in Miss England.

A further four women – who could be from any of the East Midlands counties – will also be chosen for the Miss England final at a regional event on Friday, May 31.

Millie Atkins, Megan Carlile and Jess Testar, who are among the semi-finalists

Angie Beasley, who has been running Miss Leicestershire since 1990 and is now responsible for the entire Miss England pageant, said: “We’re doing things slightly differently this year and having five semi-finals around the country, including the East Midlands one taking place at the Tigers stadium this month.

“There will no longer be winners for each county - but Miss Leicestershire will still happen. That’s a competition I’ve been running for many years and I was determined to keep it going.”

There are 15 Leicestershire entrants going along on May 31, and while they will all be hoping to be crowned Miss Leicestershire, as many as five could, potentially, end up going to the Miss England final later in the year.

The Miss Leicestershire hopefuls included Leicester sisters Sapphire and Tia Carter. Sapphire, 21, has already won Miss Leicestershire, claiming the crown in 2017, while both she and her sister made it into the Miss England semi-finals in 2018.

Sisters Sapphire and Tia Carter

Angie said: “Sadly, our reigning Miss Leicestershire, Hannah Davies, won’t be able to come to the final to crown the new Miss Leicestershire.

“Hannah is an amazing dancer – she won the talent round of Miss England last year – and is currently dancing on the cruise ships in the Caribbean. She won’t be back until November.

“But it’s going to be a great contest this year.

“It’s not just about turning up and looking pretty in a dress. They don’t even need to wear a ball gown this year – we just asked them to bring a cocktail dress.

“There’s also an ethical fashion round again this year – we want them to model an item they’ve bought second hand or made for themselves out of recycled material. It’s a great chance for them to be creative and make something recycled look great on the catwalk.

“The girls have also been raising lots of money for charity this year. The chosen charities are Hope Against Cancer and the children’s leukemia charity in Leicester, CCLG Group.

“One girl’s raised more than £600 already.”

As well as fund-raising, women in the contest get judged on a talent, as well as their general knowledge, sporting ability, social media profile, hair, body shape, sporting ability, smile and ability to get publicity for themselves.

The Miss England final will take place later in the year with the winner being sent on to compete in the Miss World competition.