A MISS Wales finalist from Towyn paid her old school a visit on St David’s Day as a voluntary appearance in support of her aim to win the 2022 competition.

Jess Downes, 23, visited Ysgol Maes Owen in Kinmel Bay on March 1 to meet with pupils dressed in traditional costume.

Jess, a past pupil of Maes Owen and former flight attendant, talked to the pupils about her role as finalist and her involvement in the competition.

Now a student at Coleg Cambria in Deeside, as well as an engineering apprentice at Toyota, Jess said: “I’m trying to get as much publicity as possible, and St David’s Day just went hand-in-hand with the ‘Miss Wales’ image.

“I just wanted to volunteer at the school for St David’s Day, so if any of the children had any questions about my journey with Miss Wales, I could answer them, and offer any help to the community.

“I used to go there myself and know a lot of the teachers, so it was quite a fulfilling, profound moment.

“To have now gone back and offered my own experiences back in to the school was a nice feeling. Seeing all of the children dressed up, and helping out, it made me feel good.

“I’m hoping to stay in touch with Maes Owen and we’re trying to arrange, every Friday, me going in to the school and offering help with any activities that they need help with.

“Next week is International Women’s Day (March 8) and Coleg Cambria has asked me to do a presentation. I’m going to be speaking about women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Any voluntary appearances that I can get, I’m going to try to attend.”

Miss Wales will announce its 2022 winner on Sunday, May 8 after a three-day event including an empowerment day, a charity ball and a catwalk show.

The events will take place in the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff and The Riverfront in Newport, with the Miss World final taking place in Puerto Rico at the end of 2022.

You can vote for Jess by texting WELSH JESSICA to 64343, and can read more about her journey as a finalist at: www.misswales.co.uk/finalists.