SHE may have missed out on a place in the Miss England final but Miss Basingstoke has vowed to carry on representing the town during the rest of her one-year reign.

Nicola Ascroft, who was crowned Miss Basingstoke 2015 after coming runner-up in the Miss England Hampshire heat on March 14, competed against 65 other girls on July 5 for one of 10 passes into the Miss England grand final in Coventry on August 14.

But the 21-year-old narrowly missed out on a place in the top 10, and although it is yet to be confirmed, it is thought Nicola came in joint 11th place.

The semi-final, which took place in Nottingham, saw the girls competing in a number of rounds including a photographic round which saw them take part in a short individual photo shoot, an interview with the judges and a social media challenge which saw contestants aiming to get as many people as they can interacting with them on social media.

In addition, an eco round saw contestants tasked with creating a dress made out of recycled, donated and charitable materials with Nicola opting to mark the centenary of the First World War with a dress, fascinator and umbrella covered in silk poppies.

The 21-year-old, who lives in Hargreaves Close, Popley, has also raised £3,894 as part of a challenge to raise as much money as possible for the contest’s charity – Beauty with a Purpose.

Nicola, who runs D&D Beauty in Sherfield-on-Loddon, told The Gazette: “I am honoured to be representing my home town, and hope that I am doing Basingstoke proud so far.

“Unfortunately I will not be representing Basingstoke at the grand final in August, but that does not mean that my title is over. I still hold my Miss Basingstoke title and will continue to do great things with it.”

She added: “My aim is to support as many local charities, and be involved with as many local events, as possible. I want to show people that the Miss England organisation is much more than a pretty face and having a good body, but more about giving and supporting charities and those around us.”