A woman from Swindon is in the finals to represent England on the world beauty pageant stage.

Emma Trollen, 25, hopes to go to Vietnam for Miss Earth 2024 having started her pageantry career only one year ago.

Being one of the largest competitions around, it is a big step up for Emma despite previous regional success.

She said: “It felt like as a part-time job that I don't get paid to do in a way, but I love doing it.”(Image: Emma Trollen)

Emma will be competing against pageant veterans who have been competing for 10 years, while she only started last year.

Unlike Miss World, the world’s biggest beauty pageant, Miss Earth is focused on promoting environmental values.

Emma explained: “I like that everyone's going for the same cause, so you have to show you're advocating for something.

“I'm advocating for sustainable fashion choices. It's so easy to buy a £200 dress and then the next pageant you want a different £200 dress and then you never end up rewearing any of them.”

She has sourced all her clothes second-hand, which she says has saved her a lot of money too.

She said: “I think in all honesty, the dresses I've got for £10 look better than some of the ones I've spent 50 or 100 on.”

Emma has also organised a clothes swap for her work and hopes if she makes it through to the international rounds to do a bigger one.

Out of all five pageants Emma has taken part in, this is the hardest pageant she has done so far, saying: “It’s felt quite a lot more competitive because it is on a national level. (Image: Emma Trollen)

“Whereas usually there's quite a lot of girls who haven't done one before and it's their first time this time there are people who have been doing it for ten years.”

However, she keeps being drawn back. She said: “I struggle with anxiety quite a lot and I find if I finish work and get home and just think, I really start to spiral.

“I quite like that I always have something to distract myself with.

The final is on September 14, when she finds out if she has got the golden ticket to the international stage in Vietnam.

She said: “it would be amazing to go to Vietnam - but I feel already like the fact I can compete in a national level agent is amazing.”