A beauty queen is raising money for a cancer charity in memory of her brother who died from leukaemia.

Leeds Trinity University student Ashley Powell is making the most of her time in the spotlight to raise cash and awareness for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

Ashley, 19, has won a number of beauty titles, including Miss South Yorkshire and Miss Scuba England, and is this year’s Miss Great Britain.

And she is using her title to help the charities which are closest to her heart.

Ashley, who is studying sports nutrition lost her brother Jamie Harris to leukaemia, four years ago.

Since then she and her family have held fundraising events to help the research charity.

The beauty queen, who hails from Sheffield, has raised about £5,000 and has also supported a number of other fundraising events planned.

She recently supported swimmer Lewis Coleman in his attempt to raise £100,000 for leukaemia research.

Ashley entered her first beauty pageant after being spotted in a Sheffield shopping centre by a previous Miss South Yorkshire. And she intends to put her role to good use.

“I really feel like now I have got a title people listen to me and see me as a woman who has got a voice,” she said.

She hopes winning the Miss Great Britain title will raise her profile so she can raise more cash for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.