A FORMER flight attendant has been chosen as a finalist for Miss Wales 2022.

Jessica Downes, of Towyn, said since the pandemic, she has “vowed” to herself that life is too precious to miss opportunities.

She is “thrilled” to be chosen as a finalist for the competition after being interviewed alongside the other candidates.

Jessica said: “It was a proud moment for myself finding out I was good enough to be one of the selected girls across the whole Wales.

“When I saw the open application for the future Miss Wales I decided it was a sign for me to practise what I preach.

“Paula Abbandonato, the lady who is the national director of Miss Universe Great Britain, interviewed myself and judged my catwalk for the position of a Miss Wales finalist and it was only a matter of days before I was contacted to inform me that I was successful.”

Jessica said she was attracted to the beauty event because of their ‘key message’.

“Miss Wales empowers young women by building their self-esteem and is all about the celebration of the female, feminism and femininity,” she added.

“It will provide me a platform to inspire other young women and above all it is the perfect opportunity to generate money for ‘Beauty with a Purpose’.”

Beauty with a Purpose is dedicated to helping underprivileged children around the world.

Jessica added: "For me to be apart of a charity that has raised in excess of £500,000 for charity is an absolute privilege."

The former Ysgol Bryn Elian and Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan pupil, in Abergele, has a calendar of events she must attend.

"I will be meeting the other finalists, attending Miss Wales’s photoshoots, taking part in charity events and I'm taking part in ‘Ask me ambassador’ training for Women’s Aid.

"In preparation for the final I will be savouring every last second of opportunities that I am fortunate to experience in the run up to the grand final. I will use my platform to raise as much awareness of the charity and be a role model for other women."

The final will be held at Newport at The Riverfront on the May 8 2022.

Jessica, after standing down from cabin crew, applied for Toyota to be a maintenance engineer.

She said: "I decided I didn’t want any old job, I wanted a career. I had to sit through difficult maths and physics exams and attend assessment days before being successfully hired.

"I feel being a woman in a very male dominated environment is something to be proud of and I feel empowered to be an intelligent young woman working for a huge and successful company."

Jessica is searching for a commercial sponsor who will help secure her place as a finalist and who she will work alongside to promote media coverage for their business.

Potential sponsors can email Jessdownes1@aol.com or telephone 07429660898.