The smell of fake tan is overwhelming and the sound of jangling bracelets fills the air.

A crowd of young women in glittery, sweeping dresses line-up for their final twirl in front of the judges.

A major beauty contest has come to Leicestershire – and yesterday saw the semi-final of the Miss England 2009 competition, held at Champneys Springs, near Ashby.

Leicestershire had two girls among the 57 hopefuls – 20-year-old Sarah Mathers, who is Miss Loughborough, and 17-year-old Chelsea Thorpe, who is Miss Hinckley.

Sarah, of Kirby Muxloe, who is studying media and journalism at De Montfort University, is quick to defend the competition.

She said: "People are entitled to their opinions, but I'm never made to feel like a piece of meat because it's not just about a pretty face.

"I think looks obviously help, but you can be beautiful and a horrible person and that will show through.

"I grew up around make-up and beauty and it's nice to make yourself look good – it doesn't mean we're not intelligent."

Chelsea, of Hinckley, who is studying performing arts and wants to pursue a career in modelling, agreed.

She gained nearly all As and A* in her GCSEs and said beauty queens can be both clever and beautiful.

She said: "I have had such a great time and I've made lots of friends. That's what I'd tell people who don't like this kind of event.

"I've always been quite intelligent and you can do both."

Laura Coleman, 22, of Asfordby, the current Miss England, was one of the judges yesterday. Last year, she gained a 2.1 in business, law and marketing from De Montfort University.

She said: "What feminists don't realise is that we do this out of choice. Nobody forces us to take part.

"I really enjoy it, I've made some of my best friends through these contests.

"When we judge, of course we look to see if they are beautiful, but we also want a great personality."

Organiser Angie Beasley said the popularity of the competition has risen. This year, they received more than 20,000 entries.

She said: "When I was competing in the 1980s we had to parade in swimsuits and high heels and it was a bit like a cattle market.

"Now it's very different and we are trying to get rid of that bad name.

"A big part of the competition is raising hundreds of pounds for charity but the good parts never get reported in the Press."

Yesterday, the girls, aged 17 to 24, were judged on their dresses, which had to be recycled or made of recycled materials.

Sarah, Miss Loughborough, was one of the 13 competitors chosen yesterday to go through to the Miss England final to be held in London next month.