A woman is hoping to be crowned the winner of a beauty pageant in memory of her late nan and "best mate" who died of breast cancer.
Sophie Barker, 31, has made it to the national finals of this year's Miss Elegance of the World which is taking place in Blackpool later this month. As part of the competition, all contestants are expected to raise a charitable donation for Cancer Research UK.
Sophie has recently moved to Newton-le-Willows from Cheshire, which is where she is originally from and who she will be representing in the finals of the competition on July 24.
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Her nan Patsy was only 52 when she died in 2006. Sophie said: "I was 15 when she passed away so quite a long time ago now. She was my best mate and had a heart of gold. She was always happy and would be proud of me doing the pageant."
Sophie, who works part time in the hospitality sector, has well and truly caught the bug after doing freelance modelling for the past five years. She said: "As a finalist I have been doing a lot of appearances in different parts of the UK, from my local hairdressers and beauty salon which is based in Cheshire to having appearances in Edinburgh, then moving on to having professional pictures and various appearances abroad while on holiday in Turkey.
"I have lots more appearances lined up until July, and have just done one in Southport."
So far Sophie has raised around £200 as part of her fundraiser for Cancer Research, including wearing a pink wig to mark the milestone of reaching the first £50.
The Miss Elegance of The World pageant strives to "promote the value of good self-esteem and self-confidence in all women of all ages." The winner of the pageant in Blackpool wins a trip to Florida to represent the UK in the global finals of the competition.
Sophie said: "Modelling is my passion. I love TikTok and I'm always doing them in my spare time. When I'm on the catwalk, I'm like a different person. I just switch and feel confident.
"It would be a dream come true if I won the pageant. I've worked so hard for this and it would be one of the biggest achievements of my life. My fiance Damian Shaw has been a great support to me."
Sophie's fundraiser can be found here.
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