A BUDDING GP, young carer and charity worker from Great Totham has reached the final of Miss Essex 2019 following a tough qualifying stage.

Paige Mawdsley, 19, is hoping to win the contest in Southend on Sunday, August 11 and then advance to the national rounds in 2020.

However, she added she is not expecting to make it all the way and would still aim to become a doctor even if she won the competition.

“I want to pursue a career as a GP and study at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford,” said Paige.

“I’d be very surprised if I did win. There’s one girl from the Army who is very good.”

Paige’s siblings include make-up artist Katie and the Instafamous influencer Sophie Hannah, who specialises in fashion and beauty tips.

But Paige says she has never been into the lifestyle scene in the same way as her sisters and was drawn to the Miss Essex competition by its philanthropic aspects.

She said: “I was at work one day, at Maldon Tesco, and a customer said that maybe I should enter.

“I didn’t think much about it at first. But I looked into it and it’s not so much about how you look, it’s about what you’ve done for the community and for charity.”

Paige has previously volunteered at Columbus Special Needs School in Chelmsford, Witham Brownies and Colchester Hospital.

She has also been a young carer for nine years, looking after brother Oscar, ten, who suffers from autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder and echolia.

As part of the Miss Essex process, Paige will take part in a five-kilometre run tomorrow to raise money for the White Ribbon charity, which seeks to combat violence against women around the world. White Ribbon UK is endorsed by the family of the late Grace Millane, a Lincoln University graduate from Essex who was murdered while backpacking in New Zealand in December.

Paige is collecting donations through her JustGiving account. She said: “White Ribbon UK is such an important charity as it challenges the male cultures which lead to the harassment and abuse of women.”

The final round of Miss Essex will be held next Sunday at the Cliffs Pavillion. If Paige wins, she will proceed to the national Miss Great Britain contest in London next year.

In the meantime, Paige says she will continue fundraising, hitting the gym, and finishing reading her latest book – Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor.