An Aldershot teenager is in the running to become Miss Universe Great Britain 2009 after fighting off competition from more than 500 hopefuls.

Kirsty Nichol, of Blenheim Park, is one of 40 girls selected to take part in the final of the national competition following a tough selection process.

The 18-year-old had to endure a gruelling interview with a panel of representatives from event organiser Vibe Models before making it through to the final leg of the competition.

Miss Nichol, a former pupil of All Hallows Catholic School in Farnham, is no stranger to pageants, having taken the title for Miss Europe and World Junior 2008.
“I’ve done a lot of pageants before and I really enjoy them,” she said. “It’s a chance to meet new people and travel.

“I couldn’t compete in this competition last year because you cannot have more than one title at the same time.

“I was really pleased to get this far because the competition is so big.

“A lot of people have an image of girls who take part in pageants as being really bitchy, but they aren’t. I’ve met some lovely girls along the way.”

Miss Nichol said her passion for pageants has enabled her to travel the world.

The winner of Miss Universe GB will get to take in the sights of Australia, Mexico, Mongolia and Lapland as part of an all expenses paid three-week trip to global event Miss Universe 2009.

There they will spread the word about The Joshua Foundation, a charity that gives life experience to children with terminal cancer and their families. The compet-ition generated more than £35,000 for the foundation last year.

Miss Nichol, who sings in the girl band Candy, is looking for a sponsor to help her move forward in the competition.

Miss Nichol said: “I can’t take part in the competition without sponsorship. I need £575 to go through to the final.

“Anyone who sponsors me will get loads of benefits, including their logo on the Miss Universe website. They get tickets to the event, which is happening at the Birmingham ICC in May.”

If you would like to sponsor Miss Nichols call her on 07834 379467.