Meet Scarborough's Erica Oldroyd and Rebecca Wainwright who reached the finals of Miss North Yorkshire

Erica Oldroyd, 20 and Rebecca Wainwright, 23 are both through to the final stage of the county’s modelling contest.

Erica, who initially planned to work as a special effects make-up artist, discovered an interest in modelling after ending up being the focus of an unplanned photoshoot in April 2019.

“I was stopped by this guy at the Whitby Goth Weekend who asked me if I wanted to take part in this Alternative Modelling competition and have some pictures taken. I never thought I’d enjoy being in front of the camera, it was a very strange experience but I absolutely loved it.”

After reaching the finals of Alternative Modelling, the former Graham School and Scarborough TEC student went on to appear in various magazines and is now a full-time model represented by two agencies.

At the end of last year, despite thinking she’d never make it to the top, Erica, of Belle Vue Street, decided to enter Miss North Yorkshire.

“All of the girls are very normal and I’m just, like, piercings and green hair, I have no idea how I got in but it’s good that they consider people who are a bit different.”

For the 20-year-old, dyeing her hair is a way to express herself. She has been doing it since the age of 13 and got her first piercing at 14.

“I’ve been every single colour apart from yellow. I love dyeing my hair, it’s just normal for me, I never suited brown hair or blonde hair.”

She added: “When I found out [I was in the finals] I was so confused, I thought ‘are you sure you’ve got the right person?’”

Talking about her recent modelling success, Erica said: “I just can’t believe it’s not even been a year. It’s all been happening so fast, it’s insane but I’m loving it.”

Becky Wainwright, of Cayton, is a full-time entertainer at Flamingo Land and only entered the contest four weeks ago.

“I saw the post on Facebook and it was the charity side of it that attracted me to it,” she said.

“They’re raising money for Zoe’s Place which is a babies charity in Middlesbrough.

They help children with lifelimiting conditions, they offer respite care, day care ...

“I’ve worked in nurseries before so with it being a children’s hospice I’m really interested.”

The former Filey Secondary School and Scarborough Sixth Form College student is looking to visit the charity at the end of this week.

She’ll then start planning fundraising events, such as raffles and bagpacking, to reach her £1,000 fundraising target.

Having never entered a modelling contest before, Becky says she’s enjoying the opportunities that the competition has offered her so far but is not sure whether she’ll take part in similar competitions in the future.

“I think it might be a one-off unless after the night I change my mind.”

Miss North Yorkshire began in 2015 and is an official regional heat for Supermodel England. It aims “to find the area’s Next Top Model and Role Model”.

The finals will take place at The Swan Hotel, Teesside, on April 17.