MEET Alice Bowles - the Pagan & McQuade Face of 2000. Alice was chosen from dozens of hopefuls who entered our competition to be the optician's model for a photo shoot and the face of the company's promotions for the next year.

During the next 12 months her face will appear in Pagan & McQuade adverts in The Northern Echo - and she may even be staring out of posters in the Darlington branch.

In the competition, we asked readers to send in a photo of themselves wearing spectacles and to explain why they'd make the Face of 2000.

Alice was nominated by her colleagues at Taylor Daniel recruitment agency in Darlington.

"They saw it in the paper and we'd taken some pictures at work the week before so I couldn't stop them," explained Alice.

When the judges chose her as the winner, she couldn't believe it. "I nearly broke my ankle running downstairs to tell my mum. She said 'no one else must have entered', but I think she was only joking."

The first exciting part of Alice's prize was to go for a personal consultation at Pagan & McQuade, in High Row, to choose a new pair of spectacles.

Branch manager Joanna Thomas went through the consultation with her, identifying Alice's face shape (heart/oval), eye, hair and skin colour and her main and second characteristics (complexion and eyes).

From that, she worked out the right shape, style and colour of spectacles for Alice - angular but soft edges in warm colours. A pair from Minima, frameless with a combination of navy and burgundy arms, proved perfect.

"I need glasses for reading but I haven't been wearing them much lately so I needed to get back into the habit," admitted Alice. "I love my new ones and I love wearing them."

Finding the Pagan & McQuade Face of 2000 was Joanna's idea. "We have lots of posters of models in the branch but no one knows who they are. We thought it would be good to have a local person who some people will recognise.

"We weren't looking for a six foot supermodel or superhunk. We just wanted a person with a naturally winning smile that everyone would warm to. Alice is just what we were looking for."

Before the photo shoot with a professional photographer, Alice was given a makeover by Saks Hair & Beauty in Darlington.

Beauty manager Julie Greenwood accentuated Alice's perfect complexion and tan (from a holiday in Greece) by using a light foundation to make her skin glow and bronzing powder. She kept the lips subtle and emphasised Alice's long lashes.

Saks Beauty offers make-up lessons which can include advice for people who wear spectacles or contact lenses.

Next Alice's hair was given the makeover treatment by Tracy Mallen, who put through slices of colour, in a natural blonde and a red tone from the L'Oreal Magi Contrast range, a new product that ensures that colour doesn't fade.

Finally, Alice went in front of the camera for the photo shoot, modelling sunglasses, spectacles and coloured contact lenses.

She said: "I would love to be a model but I've always felt that I'm not good enough. If someone approached me, I'd definitely do it because I've really enjoyed doing it for Pagan & McQuade."