A BEAUTY pageant which aims to empower women is looking for more entrants.

The grand final of this year’s Miss Divine UK will take place on September 15 at the Riverfront, in Newport.

Julia Evans, from Aberbargoed, set up Miss Divine UK together with three other ladies - Leah Maxine Andrews, Colleen Andrews and Lauren Davies.

She said: “We set up the pageant because we have entered them before and we felt that they were very much focused on looks.

“We wanted to do something a bit different, that had people from all walks of life – from different ethnicities, backgrounds and disabilities.”

They work with women aged nine and above and their mission is to teach women and young girls about self-love, body confidence and self-esteem, she added.

“The majority of females that become a part of our organisation join because they have been through traumatic or terrible life experiences and they want to use those negative experiences and become a role model,” Ms Evans continued. “For example, we have sexual abuse and rape victims, cancer survivors and mental health sufferers.”

To find out more about Miss Divine UK, visit missdivineuk.com