THE winner of this year’s Miss Durham contest has set her sights on winning the Miss England crown.

Lauren Abel, 22, of Darlington, won the regional contest at Sedgefield Racecourse on May 25.

She is now heading to Torquay to represent County Durham at the national finals on June 15 and 16.

Miss Abel, of Hewitson Road, said: “To be honest, I’m still in shock from winning Miss Durham. It still hasn’t really sunk in yet but I am so excited.”

She added: “I’ve never done anything like this before. To go down to Torquay and represent the region, it’s something not many people will get the chance to do.

“It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

She is also aiming to be the contest’s charity champion, with the contestant who raises the most money winning the Miss Beauty with a Purpose title, named after the charity they’re raising money for.

And Miss Abel’s mother, Anne McFadyen, who owns Top Cutz Barbers in Geneva Road, is helping by donating 50p from each haircut to the charity.

The public can also vote for their favourite contestant, with the winner being named Miss Popularity.

The winner of Miss England will represent the country at the Miss World contest in Indonesia this September.

Lauren said: “I’ve not really thought about winning the contest. There’s a lot more contestants this time than there were in Durham, but if I did win it, it would be absolutely outstanding.”

To vote for her, visit missengland.info/finalists-2013 or text MISS ENGLAND60 to 64343. Texts cost £1 plus the standard rate.

Alternatively, call 0901-307-1028 and select option 60.