A CONISTON schoolgirl and aspiring beauty queen has reached the finals of Junior Miss North West 2020.

Aoife Crocker will swap her John Ruskin School uniform for a glamorous gown when she takes part in the catwalk fashion show and awards ceremony next April.

The 12-year-old, who will turn 13 in December, was inspired to take part by the late Skye Mitchell, a former Junior Miss North West.

Skye, who lived in Millom, was just 18 when she died in a crash in 2017.

Aoife, whose home is in nearby Haverigg, did not know Skye, but her modelling aspirations attracted the attention of her teaching assistant Sharon Fry - Skye's mum. This Saturday, she will take to the catwalk at the Beggars Theatre in Millom, where a fashion show is being staged for the charity set up in Skye's memory - A Skye Full of Stars.

Aoife's mum, Julie Crocker, said: "Skye's mum has very kindly allowed Aoife to come to the event early, because of the lighting, and have a photoshoot done wearing her sash and tiara which she will wear at the Junior Miss finals."

Junior Miss is described as an "inner beauty" competition, designed to develop the confidence and community spirit of young women aged 13 to 17, help them to make friends, and become ambassadors for their town or village.

For more, see juniormiss.co.uk