Teen’s bid to be youngest Miss England

Alexandria Crystal has qualified for the semi-finals, which take place in Blackpool in April – a couple of weeks after she turns 15.

And she is using the platform to campaign for dyslexia awareness, aiming to give people a greater understanding of the condition.

Alexandria’s Miss England bid is sponsored by Wath-based hair care brand Watermans, which attained the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, international trade, in 2022.

She said: “I’m going to give it my best shot at the title, in the process I am determined to help other people gain access to better opportunities in life.

“A vote for me is a vote for the thousands of neurodiverse people I represent as well as all the people I raise funds for through the Beauty With A Purpose charity.

“I would love to be crowned Miss England and represent the country at Miss World, where I could have the opportunity of promoting dyslexia awareness on a global scale.”

Mum Vicky Simpson said: “Competitors are asked what good cause they would like to highlight if they were to win the title.

“Rather than wait, Alexandria is developing a series of interviews looking at aspects of dyslexia. Both she and her brother are dyslexic.

“She has already made contact with a number of professionals who are interested in taking part, teachers, Special Educational Needs Teachers, Parents and fellow dyslexics.

“It is intended that these interviews will be shown on Alex’s social media in snippets highlighting certain aspects, the full interviews being made available on YouTube.”