A BEAUTY queen is putting her best foot forward by collecting hundreds of shoes for charity.

Debbie Taylor has set herself a target of collecting at least 200 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls, which will distribute them to crisis-hit families in need of footwear.

The 36-year-old will be representing Manchester in the Ms Earth UK competition later this month and will hand over her donations to one of the judges, who will take them to America.

Ms Taylor, who runs the Nexus beauty shop in Water Street, Radcliffe, said: “My platform for the Ms Earth competition is all about recycling, that is the subject I have chosen to raise awareness of and campaign for ahead of the pageant.

“I picked a charity called Sole4Souls to collect for. They ask for donations of pairs of shoes and distribute them to countries that are in crisis or suffering from poverty, enabling children and adults to go to school and work.

“They started collecting after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and the campaign has grown bigger and bigger since then.

“One of the judges at the Ms Earth UK competition is a campaigner for the charity and she is going to taking the shoes with her when she flies back to the United States with her to distribute them there.”

Since it was formed, Soles4Souls has collected and distributed 30 million pairs of shoes to those in need in 127 countries around the world, including to victims of Hurricane Katrina in the USA.

Ms Taylor was recently named Miss Ultimate Dream Queen in what was only her second pageant, after being inspired by the success of her friend, the reigning Mrs UK Sherene Dawber.

And if she is successful in the competition on January 28, she will then go on to represent the UK in the international final in Las Vegas.

She added: “I have already started collecting and have said that I want to get 200 pairs of shoes.

“I have had some posters made up and I will be going into local schools to tell them about my campaign. My friends and clients have been helping me collect as well.

“Hopefully I will be able to smash that 200 target because I have been so pleased with the great response I have had already.”

If you can help Debbie with her campaign, call 07756997714 or visit Nexus Beauty, in Water Street.

For more information on the US-based charity, visit soles4souls.org