Lacey Dobson, 16, from Hexham, who is currently Miss Teen Newcastle, has been using her platform to help give back to the community and support charities close to her heart.

Recently, Lacey and her mum Kay Dobson, enlisted friends, family and local residents to clear out unwanted clothing and other items, which were collected by Clothes Aid and recycled to raise funds for GNAAS.

The teenager said she was particularly keen to support the charity because she had seen first-hand the difference the service can make to people’s lives.

She said: “Me and my mum know someone who was helped by the Great North Air Ambulance after they had a really bad accident.

“It’s such a life-changing charity and I think many people don’t realise it’s actually charity funded.”

Lacey managed to gather 20 bags of clothes and documented the donation process on her Instagram as part of her “donation diaries” series.

She praised the ease of the collection process, which can be pre-booked from Monday to Friday and covers several areas including County Durham, Tyne & Wear, Tees Valley, Northumberland and Cumbria.

She said: “I liked that you can get the items collected from your house. I think it’s such an easy process and the guy who picked it up was lovely as well. He had a lot of bags to carry though, so he had a bit of a workout.”

After hearing about her charitable donations, Lacey was subsequently invited to visit GNAAS’ headquarters near Eaglescliffe, where she met members of the critical care team and was given the chance to see inside one of the helicopters used to respond to emergencies across the region.

This is just one of the recent community projects for Lacey, who has been involved in pageantry since she was 10.

She initially entered pageants to help build her confidence after struggling during lockdown and says the experience has since given her several opportunities to participate in charity and community work.

She said: “My mum signed me up for a pageant system and I just got straight into it. It’s really helped with my confidence, and you get to do charity work and get involved in the community too. I think there are so many good things that come from it.”

Lacey’s pageant career has taken her from local competitions to the international stage.

She was crowned Junior Miss Galaxy UK before representing the UK at the international final in Orlando, Florida, where she won the Junior Miss Galaxy International title in 2024.

She later returned to Florida to hand over her international crown to her successor.

Kay said: “Pageantry has been a huge part of her life, giving her wonderful opportunities to travel, meet new people, build confidence and make friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.”

Now Lacey is preparing to return to the Miss Teen Great Britain competition, having previously finished as runner-up.

“I’m very excited to go back,” she said.

Away from the pageant world, Lacey has recently started sixth form, studying graphic design, politics and psychology, and hopes to pursue a career in law.

But for now she is continuing to use her platform to support causes in her local community and has already started collecting more items to donate to raise funds for GNAAS.

She said: “The charity helps hundreds and hundreds of people, so I think it’s really important to give back and support them, because you never know when you might need their help.”

To arrange a collection, fill in the enquiry form on Clothes Aid’s website or call 02072888545.

Click here for further information about GNAAS’ clothing collections