A BUDDING model from Urmston is half way to achieving her dream of competing in the Miss Teen Galaxy England pageant.

Bayley-Rio Sibthorpe, from Flixton Road, needs to raise another £150 to take part in the contest which takes place in March.

The 15-year-old has been a busy girl of late, juggling her mock GCSEs with an appearance at her school’s Christmas Fair and a photoshoot for the Vintage Girl clothing shop in Manchester.

If the teenager wins the competition she’ll represent the UK at the world finals in Florida and she said: “To win the competition would be amazing. I would go to Florida and it would be a once in a lifetime experience. It would be a big achievement and it’d help raise my confidence.”

Her mum, Alexia, a single parent, said sponsors will be able to advertise their services on Bayley-Rio’s section of the pageant website.

Alexia said the pageant’s organisers are also raising funds for The Christie and she hopes to stage a fundraising event for the world famous cancer hospital and the Well Woman Trust, the charity based at Flixton Girls School, where Bayley-Rio studies.

The 38-year-old said the sponsorship will help fund her daughter’s evening wear and added: “We’re not just begging for money - It’s not that at all. It’s about making this experience as good as we can for a young person in Trafford.”

* Alexia said the dress needs to be bought by mid-February interested in sponsoring Bayley-Rio should email alexia.Sibthorpe@groundwork.org.uk.