To explain, if you won the popularity round in a regional this year, you automatically qualified for a spot in the national popularity round, and the winner of this qualifies for the national finals of Miss England.

I actually won the popularity round in my regional Hampshire heat, but because I won the overall title the popularity heat place was given to second placed popularity and overall second place Nicola Ascroft who is also the newly crowned Miss Basingstoke.

Myself and Miss Hants Director Paula Langley headed to Leicester to support Nicola in her next part of her Miss England journey. I also knew a few of the other young ladies competing so I couldn’t wait to see them all in action.

The venue of the popularity heat is what many would call the ‘holy church of pageantry’. This is because the Sanctuary Workshops is a cosy and converted church venue, perfect for holding parties and events available for hire. It also offers a number of courses and classes including Boxercise, Pilates, Confident Bride workshops and of course monthly auditions for Mr & Miss England.

Before we got the show on the road I greeted contestants friends and family who were there to watch and support their girls, and also cleared up a tea spill from Emma’s granny! Lovely lady and a lovely family. Linford also got me up on stage to talk about my experience of being in the national finals before. I told the audience how great last year had been and how I had grown and changed for the better as a result of being involved last year. I also talked about how many new friends I had made and what opportunities I had been given.

Rebecca Drysdale Miss Nottingham was in attendance as was Maria Petrou Miss Coventry – both ladies I competed with last year so it great to catch up with them. I also met Miss Forest & Fens Alex Ross and Miss Rugby Natalie Mason who are such wonderful young women and both really funny!

So, let’s get onto the girls! Each contestant had a closed door interview with the judges beforehand and then catwalked in cocktail attire for us. They then made a short statement about themselves which was lovely as we got to know what made them each stand out.

There was also a raffle to guess the name of a gorgeous cuddly bear in aid of YOPEY. I guessed twice, and got it wrong. Turns out the bear’s name was Kev!

During the day the contestants had also taken part in a photographic round with Kev Wise, and they had also been fundraising in the lead up to the competition for Beauty with a Purpose. The winners of these rounds were Shirin O’Neil for the photographic award and Nicola Ascroft for charity! I was so proud of Nicola and Shirin is a natural in front of the camera so these were both worthy winners.

The final results of the day were…

3rd place Krishna Solanki (I met Krishna at the semi-finals last year and she is such a genuine, kind and beautiful girl so I am so happy she is in the semis again!)

2nd place Thania Gill

And the winner…. Shirin O’Neil!

I found out after from Shirin, who is so beautiful and lovely (hello Beyoncé lookalike!) that she has tried to get to the nationals FIVE times. So ladies who are reading, please don’t give up. It has taken me a few goes as well and Shirin goes to prove you just have to keep trying – I entered Hampshire four times before I got the title! Never give up!

After the heat I caught up with Miss England herself Carina Tyrrell on her latest activities and had a chat with the M/E office. Linford was so great at presenting as usual – and hilarious as well. I also met Andrea who informed me I have a pair of shoes as a prize which is always a nice bonus to your day!

I also got to meet the Mayes family, who are just such a lovely and inspiring family. Caitilin is a regular helper at the regional heats and she could be a serious events manager when she grows up, and Caera… well lets just say she put my catwalk to shame when she showed me how to strut! I enjoyed my lessons in walking Caera! Their brother Calum is taking part in a sponsored wheelchair push from Leicester to Blackpool in July 2015. Watch his visit to McLaren.

Photos by Kev Wise