A YORK girl is set represent the county of North Yorkshire in the Miss England finals - which has been delayed three times from last year.

Jennifer Carless 16, was “extremely delighted,” to reach the final of the national competition, after making it through the first ever virtual semi-final back in July last year.

After claiming the Miss North Yorkshire title, the medical student, with a particular interest in Orthopaedic surgery and the cross over in this field between animals and humans, will now feature in the finals in June.

On reaching the Miss England final, Jennifer said:“People seem to perceive Miss England as solely a beauty pageant and just walking around in bathing suits.

“The modern day Miss England really is a lot more than that. It is about empowering young ladies to achieve their goals.

“Being the youngest in the competition, I would like to think I am helping the younger generation to also believe in themselves.”

During her campaigning, Jennifer has also been named as the as the Yorkshire ambassador for ‘World Against Single Use Plastic’, which looks to raise awareness about dangers of plastic.

Her involvement has allowed her to build on other topics she is “passionate,” about, including reducing carbon footprint and becoming carbon neutral.

The youngster will be campaigning for votes to help her win the title after taking part in a series of qualifying rounds to help her reach the shortlist.

There will be a talent and sports round , ‘Bare Face Top Model’ round and ‘Plastfree Eco queen’ round where contestants are invited to create an outfit made from recycled materials along with a public vote.

Also new to the contest this year is the ‘EXPLORE THE NATION’ round, during which contestants will be meeting virtually at the end of May to promote their home towns and cities to help tourism to the area.

Aiming to be a red carpet style event, Miss England is being planned for when restrictions are lifted at Coventry’s Conference & Event Centre on June 24.

A spokesperson for the event said: “It promises to be a night to remember.”

To cast a vote and support Jennifer, download the Miss England app for free. Voting opens at the end of this month.