A YOUNG girl from Enfield has beaten thousands of hopefuls to make it to the final of a national beauty contest.

Winchmore School pupil Leyla Hussein, 14, is one of 90 girls to reach the last stage of Miss Teen Queen UK.

More than 20,000 girls originally entered the competition, which aims to catapult wannabe models into the limelight.

Leyla is competing for Miss Teen Princess, the category for 13 to 15 year olds, and has worked her way through three rounds to make it to the final.

She now has to outperform 43 fellow contestants to win the coveted title.

Speaking to the Enfield Independent, she said: "My main ambition is acting and I hope to be a television presenter one day, but I wouldn't mind doing modelling too.

"I think I have a high chance of winning, but I don't want to build up my hopes too much. I would be over the moon if I won."

Leyla has entered six categories in the contest, including Miss Charity Princess, which involves raising as much money as possible for Shia, a village in Ghana.

If she wins she will have the chance to visit a Shia school for a week.

"I would be a great experience to go and see how the other kids live," she said.

"I haven't visited anywhere quite like that before."

The Grand Live Finals will take place in Alexandra Palace, Haringey, on Thursday, August 19.

For more information about the competition visit www.missteenqueenuk.com.