Meet the newly crowned Miss Lancashire, Amy Blyth, 22, from Cleveleys

Amy Blyth, 22, decided to enter the competition ‘as a fluke’ and was delighted to be selected for the final.

But just a couple of weeks before the event in Manchester, she was taken ill with e-coli from water drunk while on holiday in Thailand and was hospitalised.

"I never imagined I would be fit for the final – never mind win it,” said Amy, who now goes on to the Miss England contest in May. “I was totally shocked.

"After being in hospital and bedbound for 10 days last week, to winning, and being able to get on the stage after being really poorly, was an achievement in itself.

“I applied to try something new, and prove to anyone that life is too short and to grab any opportunity to grow and excel yourself.

"This opportunity just seemed like something I would enjoy as I love dolling up, meeting new people and just growing myself as a person.

“Sean Maloney is the director and was the best director I could ever ask for, he supported me every step."

Day job for Amy, a former pupil of Hodgson High School, Poulton, is a recruitment consultant but she is also a familiar face and voice around the coast as she sings at weekends.She has also started her own mental health course on a Tuesday and Thursday to motivate people to run and chat and get talking so they don’t feel alone.

Details via Instagram at ‘Let’s run and chat with Amy’.