POLINA Woolford is a dentist by day, but she is hoping to scoop the title Miss England 2020 in her spare time.

She is one of 14 contestants competing in the online video and photo heat for the competition.

The contest is being held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic and participants are submitting videos of themselves taken at home.

The 25-year-old, who graduated as a dentist last year, said: “I thought this would be a great opportunity to do something new and out of my comfort zone.

“This is a great contest which highlights the multifaceted nature of young women, to showcase all sides of themselves.

“Skill and beauty can coexist, and every contestant, who are all very impressive, merges these attributes beautifully.”

Polina, from West Swindon, submitted a catwalk video filmed at home and an introduction video.

The keen painter is originally from Russia and moved to Swindon when she was nine.

Polina added: “Having never done a pageant before, I thought it would be something fun to try.

“I was inspired by the previous Miss England, who is an NHS doctor and raises awareness for general health.

“I thought if I can win this, I could potentially promote oral health, which can sometimes be overlooked.

“We all enjoy having healthy, functional and beautiful smiles and prevention, in terms of education, can help to preserve this.”

Polina needs support before voting lines close on June 19 in order to win a place in the semi-final.

The public vote has now started and acts as one judge on the panel along with a former England winner and a photographer.

All contestants who reach the semi-final will have a Zoom call with the judges who will then select the finalists at the end of July.

The winner of the public vote will be guaranteed a place in the public vote winners’ contest with contestants from all over the country.

Miss England national director Angie Beasley said: “We had planned a glamorous fashion show style final with a big audience for the semi-final but due to lockdown and the pandemic we had to change things around.”

To support Polina visit missengland.info/qualifiers/photo-heat-7/.