BABY beauty queen Isabel Nshimiye is one step closer to realising her dreams after making the finals in an international beauty pageant.

Eight-year-old Isabel, of Walcot, wowed judges at the South West finals for the Face of The Globe beauty pageant in Bristol on July13, where she won two titles, Miss Congeniality and Miss Grand Finalist.

She is now one of five finalists getting ready for a trip to Disneyland for the grand final in October.

Isabel, who attends Holy Rood Catholic Junior School, said: “I feel happy. I thought I’d never win. I had to speak on the microphone and tell them how I feel and I said I was excited. I’m thinking I might win because I’m going to try my best, and if I do well I win a crown.”

Isabel’s journey started when she had professional photographs taken with her family last year, and the photographer suggested that she could be a model.

Since then she has been going on photoshoots, sending photographs into agencies and entering competitions to make her dream a reality.

Isabel, who is a Tyra Banks fan, said: “When I was seven we first went to Queen’s Park and they entered me in the modelling competition. I really enjoyed posing in front of the camera. I am looking forward to October in case I might win, and I always wanted to go to Disneyland.”

Isabel is now on the lookout for sponsors to help fund her trip.

Mum Enid Kamwika said: “I’m so proud of her because at her age you feel, oh, she won’t make it, but when she’s there you see she means business and that’s why I have the confidence in her and I want her to get the chance of what she wants to do. We just want her to walk this journey, because she can’t do this in one step; it takes some time.”

As part of the pageant, Isabel is raising money for the Rainbow Child Foundation, which supports children through the building of orphan homes, water play pumps and sanitation units.

Isabel will model black jeans, a rainbow dress and a princess dress at the pagaent. Her favourite princess is Rapunzel, and she will wear a Rapunzel dress, a Cinderella dress or a Beauty and the Beast dress to the competition.

See her portfolio at www.

isabelnshimiye-model.co.uk