Facts and a figure

Brains meet beauty as a trainee accountant at a waste recycling firm vies to become Miss Nottingham and ultimately Miss Great Britain.

Jodie Storey, of Bullpit Road, Balderton, says appearances are deceptive and it’s a misconception when people assume she has no head for figures.

Jodie, 23, is in the final year of a degree-equivalent accountancy course at Newark College, having left school with ten GCSEs at grade C or above.

“I think people expect you to be a bit dim and just look pretty,” said Jodie, who works in the accountancy department at Greenzone Facilities Management on Brunel Drive, Newark.

“I’m a geek. I want to prove people wrong because there are a lot of misconceptions.

“I’m not an airhead and you won’t see me pouting and asking for world peace.

“Before I started with beauty pageants I was never that confident.

“It gave me confidence and I would like to show girls they should be confident in their appearance.

“If anyone has a dream of doing something they should follow it.

“People expect pageants to be like (the Sandra Bullock film) Miss Congeniality but they aren’t, although there is a competitive element. I have made a lot of friends through this and would recommend it to anyone.”

Jodie, who was runner-up in the Miss Newark contest in 2008, does take pride in her appearance.

“If I’m going out on a Saturday night mum will say to me there’s no point in asking me to do anything in the daytime as I’ll be getting ready,” she joked.

“I’ve always been a girlie girl. I love dresses and make-up.

“Walking down a catwalk is an amazing experience and I would love a modelling contract.

“It might seem strange for a girl who works for a recycling business to have those dreams but I do.”

She hopes to impress the judges at the Miss Nottingham finals at Colwick Hall on April 28 and be crowned Miss Nottingham, giving her an automatic entry to Miss Great Britain.