LIKE a blonde bombshell, plucky Paige Morris will soon be jumping off a mountain and falling from the Heavens in a determined bid to become Miss Wales 2014.

The Abergavenny 24-year-old has made it through to the finals of this year's competition and has chosen to paraglide off the Blorenge because these days there's a lot more to beauty pageants than meets the eye.

Any hopeful lady now wishing to wear the much sought after crown of Miss Wales has to tick an awful lot of boxes.

It's not just about the glitz and glamour any more, finalists have to demonstrate to the judges they're unique both inside and out.

Consequently, ahead of the grand final in April at Swansea's Princess Theatre, the aspiring beauty queens have to prove their worth in a multitude of ways.

And one of the demands laid down by the organisers is that each finalist steps outside of their comfort zone and finds something a little unusual and challenging to do in order to raise money for the selected charity - Bobath Children's Therapy Centre for Wales.

A nervous Paige told the Chronicle, "Jumping off a mountain may not be a big deal to a lot of people, but the very thought of it is sure scaring me."

Yet the committed daredevil is quick to add, "Having said that, it'll definitely be a challenge and I should imagine hurtling through the air will be both a memorable and rewarding experience. Hopefully I'll raise a lot of money for charity at the same time."

Arranged in conjunction with Abergavenny's Axis Paragliding, Paige will be throwing herself to the four winds and taking the big jump sometime in March.

And although she may be the first to admit she doesn't have a head for heights, Paige is no dizzy blonde. The nail technician and make-up artist who worked in the Celtic Manor and currently works freelance has crammed a lot of experience into her 24 years.

Paige has recently returned from Dubai where she was busy training girls the art of different nail and beauty techniques in a chain of six salons.

Inbetween painting the nails of such luminaries as Katherine Jenkins and the 2012 British Olympic Ladies cycling team, the lady who would be Miss Wales has also found time to use her make-up skills to make people look stunningly spectacular, and in some cases, purposefully hideous.

The Leighton Denny Gold Specialist explained, "I do a lot a theatrical and modelling make-up work which I really enjoy, because it gives me the opportunity to create looks which are a bit different from your standard high-street image. Some of my creations by their very nature do look a little bit strange but they're always a lot of fun to create and I think the finished products are always quite captivating."

Paige, who also has a first year teaching degree and harbours long term ambitions to open her own chain of high-end beauty salons in the UK, could be viewed as the very epitome of a successful and confident young lady, but she is quick to point out that her confidence and self-esteem have been hard won and comes from quite a dark place.

The girl who would be Miss Wales revealed, "People sometimes assume you must be a little full of yourself to enter Miss Wales, but I can tell you as far as I'm concerned nothing could be further from the truth.

"I had a horrendous time in school because of bullying but in the long-term it made me stronger and much more resourceful. I now realise that life is for living and not hiding yourself away in fear, and that's why I'm entering Miss Wales, because I've never entered any kind of beauty contest before and I wanted to see if I had the confidence and self-belief to go through with it."

Paige added, "I've always strived to bear in mind that only girls compete, real women empower one another, and that to me is the true essence of Miss Wales."

You can follow Paige on her journey to the Miss Wales finals by visiting http://www.facebook.comPaigeMorrisMissWalesFinalist2014">www.facebook.comPaigeMorrisMissWalesFinalist2014.