A BERE Alston girl has reached the semi-finals of the Miss Devon beauty pageant.

Emily Gay, aged 19, is one of 26 semi-finalists of the popular beauty event.

The 12 women with the most online votes will be put through to the finals on May 24. Then they have the opportunity of a photo-shoot on a Devon beach. They will then judged on confidence, poise, beauty and how photogenic they are. The winner then goes on to the Miss England competition, representing Devon.

Emily is a keen horse rider and said: 'I am a country girl who wants to put her town on the map.

'If I were to go through to Miss World I would submit a video of my horse-riding competitions as my talent.'

Emily, who works at Brittany Ferries and is a trainee accountant, said she applied for the beauty pageant because of a 'confidence knock' and said she wanted to use this experience as a positive boost.

Having no modelling experience — other than being the Bere Alston carnival princess when she was seven years old — she is excited and hopeful about the new experiences to come.

Miss England finalists are invited to get involved with sponsored charity events and take part in a sports boot-camp and eco fashion show — and design their own dress from recycled goods. There is also a talent show and optional swimsuit photo-shoot. The current Miss England Carina Tyrell studies Medicine at Cambridge and raised £8,000 for charity in the national final.