Bridgnorth Carnival Queen prepares for national beauty pageant

Last year's Bridgnorth Carnival Queen is set to hit the catwalk of a national beauty pageant final.

Robyn Gross may have missed out on doing her GCSE's at Oldbury Wells School due to the coronavirus pandemic, but said she is having an exciting year spending her free time preparing for competitions and raising money for charity.

The 16-year-old from Six Ashes won the Miss Junior Teen Photogenic award in Miss Junior Teen Great Britain last year and is now heading to the finals of Miss Pageant Girl UK.

Originally set to take place in June, the competition has been postponed until August due to the Covid-19 crisis, giving Robyn additional time to fundraise for various children's charities.

Organising sponsored quizzes, taking part in sponsored walks and organising a horse riding event, she has so far raised more than £1,000 for Together for Short Lives and Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Robyn qualified for her latest competition as Miss Shropshire Pageant Girl. She is also preparing to study a musical theatre course at Kidderminster College in September.

Her mother, Toni, said: "I'm immensely proud of her. I'm proud of how her confidence has grown and she's really growing into the person she wants to be.

"She has been bullied in the past, but she's come through that and now she's blossoming. Her confidence is getting higher and higher and I really can't wait to see what the future holds."