IT'S hard to believe that Fran McVeigh lacked confidence as a schoolgirl.
The 20-year-old speaks so fast and enthusiastically that it's a struggle to keep up with her manic schedule.
Fran, who grew up in Keyworth before moving to Underwood with parents Sharon and Tim, will take her place in the line-up of 15 girls at the Miss Nottingham finals at Eastwood Hall tomorrow .
For Fran, it couldn't come at a busier time, falling in the middle of her second-year exams for a philosophy and politics degree at Durham University.
"I'm here for Miss Nottingham and then I'm going back to Durham for an exam the next day," she said.
"I would rather it be like that. You have to challenge yourself or you'd get bored.
"I want to show that no matter what you challenge yourself with, it can be done with focus and determination."
To prove the point. Fran is gearing up for a series of feats that will test her physically and mentally.
One of the toughest is to run the equivalent of a marathon around Notts County's pitch. The club's chairman is sponsoring her Miss Nottingham campaign and, as part of the Magpies' 150th anniversary celebrations, she aims to run 122 laps for charity.
"I've never done running.
"My friends and family think it's absolutely hilarious. I do karate, so I have the fitness – it's the mentality," said Fran, who in her spare time has been helping to present County's Magpie Player, which can be seen on the club's website.
"I have been doing that since Christmas and it's going really well. I get to go out into the community and meet different people. They made me go to all these football games. Now I can understand why people are so loyal to a football club."
Next year, Fran and co-presenter Adam Harston are planning a charity trek to Turin under their own steam to swap a signed Notts County shirt for a Juventus one.
But her most immediate challenge after Miss Nottingham is the Great Notts Bike Ride. She aims to cycle 19 miles on June 19.
Fran, who took her GCSEs at South Wolds School, in Keyworth, said: "At school, I wasn't a very confident person. I was really quiet and studious. I didn't really talk to anyone. I did my work and went home."
When not at school, she devoted herself to training for the world karate championships, which she won in 2007.
When she turned 16, her mum suggested modelling to boost her confidence and Fran put a portfolio together.
Since signing with an agency, she has modelled wedding gowns for Debenham's bridal catwalk show, worked with Venture Photography and been involved in catwalk shows at university.
A photographer at one photo shoot suggested she try beauty pageants and she entered Miss Nottingham Galaxy, winning the final in February.
"Other girls had come out of Miss England and they knew what to do. It was genuinely insane but you meet some really nice friends," said Fran, who went on to audition for Miss Nottingham along with more than 100 other girls in the Easter holidays.
This week, she returned to Becket School, in West Bridgford, where she sat her A-levels, to talk to pupils about self-esteem and reaching high.
For the first time, Miss Nottingham has teamed up with New College Nottingham. The 15 finalists will showcase fashion designs from students.
The winner will represent Nottingham in the Miss England finals, alongside Miss Mansfield and Sherwood Forest, Chelsea Emma Edgington. The reigning Miss Nottingham, Jessica Linley, went on to win the title last year and represented the country in Miss World in China.
Tickets for the show cost �20 for adults and �12 for children on the door, or call 0116 2245695 You can text vote for your favourite contestant. See http://www.missengland.info/regionals/nottingham
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