STUDENT Jennifer Holgate is dreaming of becoming a model after reaching the semi-finals of an on-line beauty contest.

Jennifer, 20, of Fairhurst House, Billington, attended the Miss Great Britain heat at London's Cafe de Paris along with 39 other short-listed hopefuls. Just 12 went through to the final on June 28.

Miss Great Britain uses internet voting and is supported by British agencies and magazines, including OK.

Jennifer, a former pupil at Westholme, Blackburn, applied with encouragement from friends.

She said: "The semi-final was really good. All the girls were friendly and there was no cattiness, which was pleasantly surprising. We were taught some dance steps and given catwalk tips.

"I'm just 5feet 4inches high, so I can't really do catwalk work. I'm looking for commercial, advertising work and facial pictures."

In her teens Jennifer was approached by modelling agencies but turned down the offers thinking she was too young. After school, she initially studied life sciences at Cambridge and Manchester universities, and appeared in a Manchester University calendar.

She recently worked at Clitheroe's Mansell's Coffee Shop.

Her dad, Stephen, is a consultant anaesthetist at Blackburn's Royal Infirmary, Queen's Park and Beardwood Hospitals.

Mum Jayne works for Glaxo Smith Kline and brother Richard, 18, is a Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School sixth former.

The beauty contest was organised by Miss Tourism World, a private company which runs shows across the world. Voting for Miss Great Britain can be done at www.missgb.com. The final winner wins £5,000 worth of prizes and enters the Model of the Year contest in China.