A FIRST time model from Greenock is walking tall after being named the Face of Inverclyde 2014 – on her industry debut.

Young mum Lindsay Smith only entered the Model Scotland contest on a whim and was stunned when judges told her she was their top beauty queen for the district.

Now the 18-year-old is looking forward to being crowned at a glitzy ceremony in East Kilbride on Sunday 5 October.

The beauty queen, who works in the town’s Sports Direct store and is studying social care at West College Scotland in Greenock, will be handed the reins by last year’s Inverclyde and overall Scottish winner, Greenock dancer Lauren Hair.

Lindsay, who is mum to two-year-old Amelia, will then go on and represent the district at the national finals later in the year, with hopefuls from across Scotland battling it out to win a trip to Paris and compete for the world crown.

She told the Tele: “I was really panicking when I was told I’ll be the Face of Inverclyde 2014. I didn’t think it would happen at all.

“I just thought I would enter the competition and give it a go and try something new.

“I’ve never done anything like this before but it’s really exciting.

“I’m delighted about it, but it did come as a big shock.” Despite having to take to the catwalk to impress the judges, Lindsay says she is actually a very shy person.

But the former Inverclyde Academy student says the contest has helped boost her self-confidence and proves there is more to modelling than what the stereotypes suggest.

She said: “I’m a bit nervous now about what will happen next because I’m really quite a shy girl. Even the judges during my interview commented on how shy I was. I was really surprised when I found out I was the Face of Inverclyde because I was asked how I thought I’d done and I said ‘terrible’.

“But this shows there is a different side to modelling — it’s about inner beauty as well.

“I want to thank Model Scotland for the opportunity and I hope to bring out the positive side of Inverclyde when I represent the area in the Scottish finals.” Lindsay is on the lookout for sponsors to help support her bid for Inverclyde to represent Scotland in Paris for the second year in a row.

Any individuals or businesses who can help should phone 558980.