More young women have come forward to compete for this year's Miss Oxford title.

The current Miss England, Georgia Horsley, has urged women in the county to take part in the competition, which is being run by the Miss England organisers and backed by the Oxford Mail.

Georgia, 21, won Miss England last year, following in the footsteps of Eleanor Glynn, 21, from Sandford-on-Thames.

Miss England organiser Angie Beasley said Oxfordshire was a very strong area for competition entries, particularly after the two Oxford girls won in 2002 and 2006.

The Oxford Mail has joined forces with the Miss England office to find a young woman to represent Oxford in the next Miss England semi-final, which is being held in Leicestershire, on June 16 and 17.

Successful entrants will attend a photo audition at the Oxford Mail next month.

Sascha Collen, 21, from Warborough, said: "Photography was my first career option but I've now decided to leave it as a hobby, as I'm more passionate about alternative therapies and ways of helping people heal. I also love dance such as belly dance and salsa."

Suzanne Ball, 21, from Witney, said: "Acting has always been a great pleasure to me and I've played a variety of roles.

"I've recently been taken on by two modelling agencies and have applied to Liverpool University to study English and European literature."

Tamara Rodriguez-Grayson, 23, also from Witney, includes cheerleading and softball in her lists of interests, as well as playing the saxophone and choral singing.

Daisy Fleetwood, 20, from Risinghurst, Oxford, attended a performing arts college in Cambridge.

She said: "I've currently finished circus work where I performed several dance routines in the circus ring.

"I've also done a few photoshoots for hair magazines and participated in a TV game show. Ideally, I'd love to perform on a West End stage, no matter how big or how small the role."

After receiving the Miss England crown in July, Georgia went on to compete in Miss World in Sanya, China, last year.

Although she didn't win, she told the Oxford Mail that she loved taking part in the competition, spending a month on the island of Hainan.

The winner of Miss Oxford will represent the city in the Miss England semi-final at Champneys health resort.