THE Grand final of Miss England is being staged in the North-East for the first time.

The beauty contest will be held at the Newbridge Hotel in Newcastle on July 31 and August 1.

Alisha Cowie, the reigning Miss England, announced the news at a launch event in the Hudson Newcastle this week, alongside the Miss London, Birmingham and Manchester title holders and the two top fundraisers already in the event final.

Alisha is a former Miss Newcastle and became the first woman from the city to win the title and represent England at Miss World.

Using the ethos ‘Beauty with a Purpose’, Alisha has become an ambassador for the Papyrus Young Suicide Prevention Charity where she, her boyfriend and her brother are to complete a Tough Mudder challenge.

Alisha has helped to raise more than £30,000 since becoming a beauty queen and has appeared in national newspapers and on TV since winning. She has just returned from the World Travel awards where she was invited as a special guest to have a luxury holiday and cultural experience in Mauritius – something the newly crowned winner will also receive along with the opportunity to represent England at Miss World 2019.

Fifty winners from across the nation will descend on Newcastle on the weekend of the event, culminating in a catwalk style show at the Newbridge Hotel which is being transformed in to a glamorous venue for the special occasion by local firm Purple Events.

Organisers and contestants are keen to promote how the contest has developed over the years ahead of the final.

Contestants showcased the different rounds such as the sports, talent and ethical fashion round which has a fashion theme, ‘Wear it Green’.

Margetts who was a top fundraiser in the East Midlands qualifier wore a green themed outfit she had created herself from recycled materials to highlight Save the Orangutans .

The talent round was demonstrated by the new Miss Birmingham, Jodie Duckworth who won the talent award in the 2017 national final for her stilt walking act .

Other rounds of Miss England highlighted at the launch where by ;

Miss London Vimbai Changhu & Miss Manchester – Suzy Bamghose who both wore sportswear to promote the Sportsround . Miss Newcastle Rebecca Gormley & Harriet Fairburn both wore Little Black Dresses to represent the Fundraising and Top Model rounds as both have raised thousands of pounds for charities themselves.

The Launch took place At ” The Hudson Newcastle” .

A spokesperson for the Gainford Group, based in Newcastle said “Gainford Group are delighted to be hosting the Miss England final and are thrilled to bring this iconic event to Newcastle for the first time.

“The event is a fantastic fundraising platform which will benefit charities right here in the North-East, specifically The Chronicle Sunshine Fund which is this year’s chosen charity”

The 2019 Miss England fundraising challenge for the final will be supporting the Sunshine Fund shared with the Miss World charity, Beauty with a Purpose.

Siobhan Sargeant, charity director of the Sunshine Fund said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be the chosen local charity to benefit from The Miss England campaign.

“As an organisation we have worked for four years on the Miss Newcastle campaign and we have honestly loved every minute of it.

“We have worked with organisers to change the perception of the pageant and we couldn’t be more proud of this years Miss Newcastle finalists raising over £20,000 for the charity and acting as our ambassadors in the community.

“We know that Miss England will do us proud and we cant wait to get involved in even more fantastic fundraising events raising the profile of The Chronicle Sunshine Fund even further and allowing us to benefit more local families.”

“The Miss England contest has previously been staged all over the country such Birmingham, London , Devon and Southport but never in Newcastle “ said organiser and Miss England director Angie Beasley.

“I’m very excited to bring the final to the North-East. It’s the first time ever and it’s all due to the success of the inspiring Miss England winner Alisha Cowie.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Tyne Tees Models and The Gainford Group for making this possible and I hope we can all make the event a huge success and raise lots of funds for our chosen charities.“

Over the years the Miss England contest has raised thousands of pounds across the country for various causes with the Miss World Beauty with a Purpose ethos.

The competition still attracts more than 20,000 entrants every year with a series of heats and semi finals held across the country.

From funds raised by Miss England contestants, holiday homes, specially adapted school buses, sensory equipment for disadvantage children and wheelchairs and much more has been funded – all by the hard work of the contestants .

For details of some of the projects, visit the Miss England website link at www.missengland.info/beauty-with-a-purpose/

Tickets for the Miss England Final event will be on sale on July 1. Details will be on the Miss England website. For more information visit www.missengland.info