Meet the Exeter Uni student hoping to be the next Miss England

"The competition is tough and there are some beautiful and very talented women in the final."

By Joel Cooper Chief Reporter 14:08, 8 MAY 2018

Devon-based lifestyle blogger Clara George, 22, has won the online vote of a prestigious regional beauty contest; giving her two chances to reach the nationwide Miss England pageant.

With no contest in the Devon region this year, all local contestants like Clara were entered into the Miss Bristol competition.

Clara came first in the phone vote with 644 votes, ahead of her nearest competitor who received 514.

As a result, she now holds the title of Miss Bristol Popularity and will go on to compete in the Miss Popularity Final as well as the Miss England Semi-Final.

Clara is very proud to represent Devon in the competition. After graduating from the University of Exeter, she has built up a reputation locally as a lifestyle blogger, documenting her adventures in fashion, beauty, food and travel, gaining a following of almost quarter of a million followers across multiple social media platforms.

She now aims to use her involvement in her first ever beauty pageant to raise funds for the charity Brainstrust in memory of her uncle, who lost his life to a brain tumour.

She said: "I’m really excited to have made it this far in the Miss Bristol contest and am definitely hoping to go all the way.

"The competition is tough and there are some beautiful and very talented women in the final, but I look forward to this great opportunity to represent Exeter and raise awareness and funds for Brainstrust whose work is invaluable and so close to my heart."

Miss England National & Regional Heat Organiser, Kerry Heslewood, said: “We’re thrilled to have such a strong line-up of empowered and inspiring women in the 2018 finals of the Miss Bristol pageant.

"Our aim remains to raise money and awareness for good causes, to empower women everywhere and to celebrate their achievements."

Went out for a meal to celebrate finally getting rid of some really bad stomach pains. Got food poisoning from that meal #immunesystemproblems #savemefrommyself

A post shared by Clara George (@claraccouture) on Apr 24, 2018 at 4:24am PDT

Miss England, which describes itself as the "most respected title in England" says it is "more than just a beauty contest".

Along with the traditional catwalk style contest, Miss England contestants who reach the final are encouraged to:

Raise funds & awareness for Beauty with a Purpose
Arrange sponsored gifts to donate to charity
Take part in a creative ECO fashion round
Compete in a sports round
Complete a general knowledge quiz
Take part in a beach beauty shoot
Submit a short video for the talent round
The contest's website says: "Miss England celebrates the achievements of women and we are looking for a positive role model to inspire others."

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/meet-exeter-uni-student-hoping-1544548