THE excitement is building on the eve of the first Miss Durham beauty contest.

Sedgefield Racecourse will stage the pageant during its ladies' night meeting tomorrow.

The 20 finalists will parade in three outfits before a panel of judges in a bid to be crowned Miss Durham and earn a place in the Miss England competition.

But the contestants will not be the only ones collecting a prize on the night.

Newcastle Breweries will donate a bottle of their wine-based drink Bliss Berries to each of the first 2,000 women through the turnstiles.

Galaxy FM will play music and take photographs of racegoers, while presenter Terry Golding will co-compere the evening.

The Stonefudge Modelling Agency, from Jesmond, in Newcastle, is arranging the choreography, while Saks Hair and Beauty, from Durham, will organise the make-up and hair of the finalists. There will also be health, fashion and beauty displays, including Virgin Vie, Ann Summers, Sherbet Moon, Head-to-Toe, Hat JJ Hire, Geoffrey Gillow and Valentines Gym.

Bookmaker Betfred, which is sponsoring the contest, has given odds on all the contestants.

Natalie Smith, from Chester-le-Street, is the early favourite at 5-1.

To place a bet, phone (0800) 7311210.

There will also be the opportunity for racegoers to vote for their favourite by calling a phone line, which will count towards the final result.

The Northern Echo will publish the photographs of the finalists tomorrow and the phone numbers to vote for them.

Gates open at the racecourse at 4pm and the first race is at 6.35pm. Admission is £6 for the course enclosure and £12 for the grandstand, with accompanied children under 16 free.