A 12-year-old schoolgirl will be representing Bolton in the final of the Little Miss Teen Great Britain pageant.

Amelia Hill, who attends Smithills' School and lives in the Haulgh, has already been awarded the title of Little Miss Teen Bolton as she's made it this far in the competition.

The pageant offers young girls a character building experience; it's not just about looks as the contestants are encouraged to share their talents and help the wider community through charity work.

The Little Miss Teen category is open to girls aged 10-12, although the pageant goes up to age 19.

Amelia's mum Nicola said: "She’s really excited about it.We’d almost forgotten about it, then they sent us an email saying she was through to the final and that she received the title of Little Miss Teen Bolton, as that’s the area she represents.

“She’s done some modelling in the past which she enjoyed doing so se she decided to enter the pageant.

"We had to send pictures in, fill out forms and an interview sheet. The judges then select finalists based on this.

“In the final they will have to go on stage and give a performance, show what they can do as a person. Amelia plays the saxophone so she may do that.

“I think it will help with her confidence a lot. She’s confident around friends and family but can be shy around people she doesn’t know, so it will help her grow her confidence."

The pageant supports the charity Together for Short Lives, which helps families who care for ill children. Amelia intends raise money for the charity, starting in the coming weeks with a 2.6 Challenge.

Nicola hopes they can organise larger fundraising event in the future, at the fairground run by Amelia's father Laurence, who is a travelling showman. Nicola co-owns Blake Laurence hair salon in Farnworth, which will sponsor Amelia in the pageant.

Family and friends have been congratulating her on her success as she is the first family member to take part in a pageant.

Nicola said: “We’ve had lots of support from family and friends, they love it. Nobody’s done something like this in our family before, no one’s as artistic as her. She’s just pushed herself to do it.

“It will also give the chance to meet other young girls from different backgrounds. Amelia comes from a traveller background so she’ll be able to share her experiences of travelling with a fair.

“The final in Blackpool isn’t until October, Amelia wishes it wasn’t so far away but I’ve said that’s a good thing as it means it can still go ahead. She’s just excited to meet the other people and she’s never done a pageant before.

“We’re very proud of her, it’s good that she wants to get out there and do something rather than sitting around doing nothing. She just wants to see how far she can go she’s great.

“She wants to be an architect when she’s older, she loves drawing and she’s known what she’s wanted to be for a while now. I’m so proud of her, she’s a good girl.”

Nicola has set up an Instagram account to keep track of Amelia's fundraising, @littlemissteenbolton2020akh.