A 15-year-old is hoping to win a national competition to be crowned 'Miss Junior Teen Great Britain'.

Amrit Kaur will represent Sutton after being selected out of thousands of teenagers.

She will represent the borough at The Globe Theatre in Blackpool in October.

"Winning a place in the grand final feels so unreal," said Amrit.

"I am so excited and passionate to be able to help so many other people out there and meet so many wonderful people," she said.

Amrit says it is important for her to use her platform to speak on health and lifestyle and to help other teenagers develop confidence within themselves.

"I decided to apply to Miss Teen Great Britain when I was thirteen," she said.

"Watching Bollywood stars such as Aishwariya Rai and Priyanka Chopra from a young age made me wonder, 'how cool would it be if I could act and do modelling?'

"Surprisingly, my mum told me once that she also wanted to participate in Miss Malaysia when she was a young adult, but unfortunately was restricted due to stereotypes in the acting, modelling and pageant industry."

This Is Local London: Amrit pictured with the Mayor of Sutton Amrit pictured with the Mayor of Sutton

Speaking about topics she would like to address through the competition platform, she added: "The platform I have chosen is health and veganism.

"I have been a vegan since March 2019. I believe that beings shouldn't have to suffer for my own personal gain.

"I also did lots of research into the health benefits of a vegan lifestyle and created a speech about 'why the world should go vegan' for my grade 6 LAMDA exam that I sat last year.

"I hope to be able to speak to individuals and large crowds about veganism too, and help debunk lots of vegan myths that often discourage people from this lifestyle.

"I would like to guide people (especially as a young girl who has experienced body dysmorphia) and tell them that it's ok to eat what you like, or want to look a certain way, as it very natural for humans to constantly never be satisfied with what we already have.

"With the country's rise in obesity over lockdown, I hope to be able to teach lots of people how to live a happy, healthy and balanced lifestyle.

"Additionally, this would be a great experience, as I aspire to become a dietician in the future too."

This Is Local London: Amrit Amrit

Speaking about what it would mean to win, she said: "I would say that I am still very focused and passionate about winning the crown, however I have a slightly different drive towards why I would like to do so.

"Relating back to my platform, I have experienced lots of confusion and frustration within myself due to body image, health and just what exactly does society want from me?

"I am certain many other people can relate to my past experiences, and I feel more responsible and empowered than ever to help as many people as I can to feel better within themselves.

"I believe the title comes with great honour and responsibility, and I want to fulfil that role to my best ability, by serving people rather than having an egocentric impulse towards winning."

To stay up to date with Amrit's journey, visit her Instagram page @missjr.teensutton.