A 19-year-old health and beauty student dazzled the judges and audience alike when she stole the show to win the Miss Bolton modelling competition.

Peace Blessing Oybi beat off 14 other hopefuls at Bar Club Chic in Nelson Square when she was crowned the town's beauty queen.

A panel of eight judged the girls' appearance, personality and demeanour on the catwalk as each contestant was asked a series of tough questions by the compere.

Excited parents and friends clapped and cheered as each contestant walked on stage and revealed why they thought they should be crowned Miss Bolton.

And after an hour of deliberation from the judges, Peace Blessing secured first place by just seven points, with 19-year-old student Nicola Horrex finishing a close second and 18-year-old student Holly Ikin third.

Peace Blessing not only secured the title but also a 12- month contract with a major modelling agency based in Manchester and a place in the Miss England final on September 2-3 at the Olympia in Liverpool.

And if Peace Blessing wins the national title she will go on to represent her country in the Miss World contest which will be held in Sanya, China in December.

Peace Blessing said she was delighted to be crowned Miss Bolton.

She said: "It is a dream come true. I really enjoyed the whole experience and all the girls who took part were really friendly. Winning this competition is like a stepping stone for me, I would love to be a professional model and be like my idol Caprice. I hope to win the Miss England competition and ultimately become Miss World."

Organiser Gary Bonds, from Bonds PR, hailed the event as a success and revealed the Miss Bolton competition would be repeated in future years.

Mr Bonds said: "It has really been a great night, the girls were a credit to themselves and their families. The standard of the competition was quite high and the result was so close but I think Peace won because she satisfied all the criteria which the judges were looking for. I think Peace has a good chance in the Miss England final."

The competition had been open to girls aged 17 to 24, who have no children, never been married or ever done any glamour modelling work.

The final was filmed by Channel M and will be screened on Wednesday.