AFTER being declared Miss Glamorous Gloucestershire last year, Forest beautician Jess Caldwell is to compete for a European title.

But the 23-year-old from Lydney will be part of the Welsh team at the Miss European beauty pageant.

The former Whitecross School student said: “I have a lot of family in Wales and my boyfriend lives in south Wales and I spend most of my weekends there so it seemed right to represent Wales.”

Jess will one of a team of 10 during the week-long event which will see them perform a dance as a team.

She said: “We are doing a dance with a Cats theme and I may have to do the splits which I’m not looking forward to.”

There will also be several appearances at venues around Folkstone during the week before the finale where the overall Miss European will be chosen.

Last autumn she was named as Miss Glamorous Gloucestershire and won the Miss Charity Supreme title for her work with the Cardiff-based animal sanctuary All Creatures Great and Small.

Jess was inspired to enter the world of pageants by the film Miss Congeniality and says clients at the Cinderford salon where she works love being kept up to date about her achievements.

She said: “They live to hear about what I’m doing next and seeing the outfits.

“I have a new dress for every category in every pageant.”