‘BEAUTY comes in all shapes and sizes’ – that’s the inspiration behind a Dorset woman being crowned Mrs United Kingdom 2015.

Btissam Mikram, from Dorset, was crowned ‘Mrs United Kingdom Beautiful 2015’ at a glittering ceremony in Wales on Saturday, April 25.

The 36-year-old was one of ten finalists on the night and said she was delighted to represent the county in the competition.

The Miss United Kingdom Beautiful Pageant sees finalists travel to Florida to then represent the UK, giving the winners a chance to compete internationally.

Throughout the year they are also given the chance to do appearances and promotional activities.

Mrs Mikram, whose dad is Turkish and mum is half German, said: “At the ceremony I also won Miss Charity 2015/2016 – an extra award which is given to the person who raised the most money for Air Ambulance Wales/UK.

“I want to encourage other women to believe in themselves and their dreams, and most importantly to raise awareness and fundraise for charities because life is all about helping others.

“There is no shape or size stereotype; beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.”

Mrs Mikram, of Poole, also represented Miss England in the 2014 Face of the Globe pageant in Disneyland Paris, and she was also crowned Mrs Dorset Galaxy 2014/2015 in a separate beauty pageant.

She said: “One thing I aim to do in the future is to support and raise awareness of local charities such as Dorset’s Julia’s House.

“I feel so happy and I was so excited to have been awarded the title of Mrs United Kingdom Beautiful 2015 at the pageant.

“I wanted to highlight to other women that beauty is not about your background, it’s what you do with your life.

“Being married, I also want to make the point that women can be married, have children and still do something for their community.

“I want women to feel comfortable in their own skin.”

The Miss United Kingdom Beautiful Pageant is described as ‘a beauty pageant that focuses on the entire package’.

The pageant supports the motto of ‘beauty inside and out’ by offering a venue for contestants to compete and showcase skills that will boost confidence, communication skills, and drive a mind to support their communities.

For more information visit missukbeautifulpageant.co.uk