A woman who lost her mum in a tragic car crash on the way home from her aunt's funeral is hoping to maker her proud in a national beauty pageant.

Alice Cutler is competing in Miss England 2024 in memory of her mum Tereasa Cutler.

Tereasa, 49, was driving home from her sister’s funeral on the A31 in June 2015 when a head-on collision occurred.

Alice, aged 18 at the time, was a passenger in the vehicle along with her brother Daniel and cousin Joseph, aged 16 and 19 respectively.

Eight years since the devastating crash, Alice has rebuilt her life and has been fast-tracked to the semi-finals of Miss England 2024 – which happens to be her late mum’s birthday.

Daily Echo: Alice with her mum Tereasa and brother Daniel Alice with her mum Tereasa and brother Daniel (Image: Alice Cutler)

‘It means so much more than standing around with a crown’, the 26-year-old commercial property solicitor said.

Alice added: “I have had my head down since the crash, but I wanted to achieve something I have always wanted to do.

“I thought long and hard about entering but Miss England is a really good place to share my story and I am so proud of how far I’ve come.

“I hope people will read my story and think ‘I can do this’.

“I want to give them that extra motivation if they are struggling.”

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Alice, from Ringwood, was due to compete in Miss Teen of Great Britain in December 2015.

But her mum’s death put all competing on hold – until now.

Alice completed her A-Levels and went on to study law at university before training as a solicitor.

Daily Echo: Alice CutlerAlice Cutler (Image: Alice Cutler)

She is now ready to return to her passion and keep her mum’s memory alive.

Alice said: “When mum died, my world flipped upside down. I was trying to deal with the aftermath of the accident and put my life back together.

“A friend of mine recently won a national title, and it made me want to circle back to competing.

“I am in a place where I want to do things that make me happy, and this is the last year I can enter Miss England.

“The semi-finals will be held on April 7 next year which happens to be my mum’s birthday.

“And they are being held in Blackpool. The last time I went there was with mum and my auntie, who have both passed away, and my brother and cousin.

“It was the worst holiday. We swore we would go back again, so it all feels like a lovely set of coincidences.”