A DELIGHTED Kidderminster beauty queen is celebrating after scooping the coveted Miss Worcestershire 2014 title – in her first ever pageant.

Chloe Palmer, aged 20, beat off strong competition at a glittering bash in Worcester on Sunday (November 2) to take home the sash.

Winning the regional title means Chloe, a customer service administrator at Brintons carpets, has qualified for the Miss England final that will take place in June next year.

To be crowned Miss Worcestershire, Chloe helped raise hundreds of pounds for the charity Beauty with a Purpose which supports local disadvantaged children in the region.

Part of the challenge also saw her creating her own ‘eco-dress’, which she did by using pieces of carpet.

Chloe told the Shuttle: “I still can’t believe I won and it hasn’t sunk in yet. When they announced I had won, my heart was in my mouth – it was such a good feeling.

“I have had a lot of support from my family, friends, work and my sponsor Adele Edwards from Bella Sposa Bridal Boutique, who have all been amazing. I have been inundated with messages and phone calls since. There have been lots of tears of joy.

“All of the girls who took part were brilliant and we all got along really well. Together we all raised more than £6,000 and we have made good friends.”

Chloe will now have a number of engagements as Miss Worcestershire over the coming year including opening a new branch of Bella Sposa and possibly turning on Worcester’s Christmas lights, as well as continuing to raise money for the charity.

She added: “I personally want to change people’s opinions on pageants as many still have the wrong impression of what they are about.

“They are so much different now. A huge aspect of competitions now is to raise as much money for charity as possible. It is also about being a role model, giving other young girls confidence to be themselves.”