A four year old Ely girl has been chosen from more than 1,000 children to take a place in the world finals of Mini Miss British Empire 2017.

Ely Standard:

Hephzibah Akinwale has been chosen to compete at the event later this month.

Her mum Chika said: “Hephzibah is a very bubbly, confident, creative, hardworking, friendly, and ambitious girl.

“Her biggest ambition is to be a source of inspiration to young girls and kids and inspire kids to dream big.

“If she won the international title, she would use her title to help charities to raise money and be a voice for kids.

“She currently has a TV show on YouTube and an Instagram page @thehephzibahshow.

“She also loves drawing, singing, ballet, dancing, acting, speaking, and maths.”

Hephzibah won best in beauty pageants at the International Achievers Awards in London and has a fan base of more than 9,000 followers, her mum added.

The event has been hailed a fresh International Pageant, which prides itself in finding aspiring models, singers, dancers, actors and presenters.

It was founded in 2011 by former Miss Great Britain and Hollywood actress Liz Fuller who wanted to pass on the opportunities she has successfully carved out for herself.

In 2015 the upper and lower age divisions were added to offer mini, junior, teen, Ms, Mrs and classic contestants.

Hephzibah will be in the Mini Miss age four to nine category.

The contestants take part in master classes focusing on health and wellness, public speaking, social media etiquette, catwalk skills and stage presence.

Scoring is based on their performance in event preparation and community work, photo shoots, live catwalks and a talent or personality round.

Now in its seventh year, The British Empire Team has been scanning the country, talent databases and social media profiles on a model and talent search.

Finalists have been chosen via scouts, photo heats, talent days and auditions in cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.

The International finals are in London and will see contestants from Australia, India and other former British Empire countries join the UK finalists for the event.