They call it the smart girls' beauty contest.

The line-up includes several former beauty and carnival queens, and claims not be to be just the stuff of long legs and swim suits - personality counts as well.

Tomorrow (Saturday) night, nearly 30 hopefuls from England, France and Belgium will line up for the first time in this country at Clacton for the title Miss Euroregion 2001.

The beauties were chosen from contestants who entered regional heats across the three countries.

Many are students. In Belgium, the entrants were required to speak three languages.

Highfield Holiday Park was chosen as the first English venue and for the past two days, the girls have been rehearsing a variety of routines including dance sequences.

They will also be judged on deportment, modelling and be tested on their ability to mix and learn.

This is very much a competition of personality first.

Last year's winner, Wendy Cornelis, 22, a multi-lingual secretary from Belgium, said: "They have to be clever, charming, know how to be real ladies and how to mix with different people. It's more than a glamour thing."

Her past year has been spent promoting the Belgium side of the competition and attracting contestants.

Wendy said: "It's hard, but it's been a lot of fun and I have travelled to other countries. I have travelled to France as a judge 15 times."

There are no great cash prizes, but the winner will spend the year travelling in England and Europe promoting the contest.

One of the ten English competitors is former Clacton Carnival Queen Jemma Passey, 18, of Suffolk Close, Holland-on-Sea, who won the title Miss Sunshine Coast.

She entered when her grandmother told her about the contest.

On Saturday, Gemma, who is hoping to study to be a make-up artist, will have to go through a number of rounds, including wearing a wedding dress. But she says whatever happens, she will have "enjoyed it."

The man who dreamed up the idea, back in 1998, was Claude Pasbecq, who thought of it as another way of bringing together Europeans.

Shopping abroad is still a top draw among the contestants and on Thursday, they had a chance to visit the Clacton shopping complex.

Line-up - the beauty competition contestants in Clacton

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