BECOMING Miss England would be the pinnacle for some – but Rowley Regis woman Alexandra Darby hopes it would just be the start of her journey as she vies for the title this weekend.

Alexandra, 23,

last year’s Miss Black Country

, is one of hundreds of women taking part in Miss England semi-finals across the country.

Hers takes place at Resorts World Birmingham this Sunday (June 2) and the professional singer and care home worker plans to use the competition to spread a love of music.

The former Heathfields pupil has seen firsthand the impact that music can have at both spectrums of the age range.

Alexandra works in a care home, Castle Meadows in Dudley, as an activities coordinator but recently volunteered to work in a refugee camp in Malakasa, Greece.

She said: “I worked in a refugee camp for two weeks and taught children in the camp singing and music, to go alongside my singing campaign, Singing With A Purpose.

“It was amazing, so eye-opening, just incredible. If I was to win Miss England, I would hopefully one day have my own music school within a refugee camp, that would be the goal.

“I’m doing Miss England to raise awareness of how music therapy can help people regardless of background, regardless of neurological condition - music unites us.

“Before my current job, I was singing in care homes, in dementia homes, and people’s family members were coming up to me, saying they had never seen them react like that before.

“They were singing along, loving it, they remembered every word when they didn’t even remember a conversation they just had with me. It was really inspiring for me.

“I want to be an advocate for music therapy, I want to make sure music therapy is in all nursing homes and I want to make music a core subject within schools because I think it’s really important.”

Five women progress from each semi-final, with the day’s winner crowned Miss Birmingham, with around 50 making the grand final from across the country.

Alexandra, who has a degree in musical theatre, made the grand final last year, finishing 24th, and is keen to dispel some of people’s preconceptions about the contest.

Alexandra, who also does a lot of work for firefighters’ charities after surviving a house fire at a young age, added: “Miss England is not just about the pretty face.

“It’s not just about the most beautiful girl on the stage, they want to hear what you are going to bring to the title. They want a girl who is an all-rounder.

“I get asked the obvious questions by people, like ‘do you have to wear a bikini?’, all the stigma questions but Miss England don’t actually do a bikini round any more.

“They swapped it for a ‘beautiful mind’ round, which is a general knowledge quiz, and they have taken out the ball gown round, so they are really trying to take the stigma away.”