A Sports Science Student from Wednesbury was crowned Miss Black Country 2020 on June 3rd - the first ever to be selected virtually due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Nineteen-year-old Isobel Lines continued her community work, raising thousands of pounds for charities including Papyrus and Beauty With A Purpose; the designated charity for Miss England. She has also been volunteering for the Midlands International Aid Trust, distributing PPE to local care homes and key workers including Acorns Children's Hospice, Aldridge Nursing Home and the YMCA in Carters Green. 

Isobel is a Mental Health a Suicide prevention ambassador, raising awareness for the cause after her school friend Viren Patel from Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School passed away. She said:

"During school, we were never taught about mental health and I believe this played a strong role in my friend’s death. Thankfully, as of September, it is compulsive for schools to educate students on Mental Health following the National Curriculum changes.

"I want to use my title as a platform to normalise mental health concerns and help as many people who have suffered with what I have."

Since sixth form, Isobel has suffered with Acne, something which she believed would impact on her chance of success in the competition. In 2019, Miss England introduced the ‘bare faced round’, to encourage women to be confident within their natural skin. Both last year and this year, Isobel opened up about her struggles and submitted the images after almost deciding not to.

Isobel has been competing in Miss England for four years but has never previously won a regional title. She first competed for Miss Black Country at 16 years old. In 2019, she was successful in reaching the Finals after placing in the top 5 in the Miss Birmingham competition - and winning the Publicity round.

This year, she returned for one final time, competing in the Midlands Heat and was finally successful. She added:

‘’I am beyond overwhelmed. Competing for four years and raising over £6,000 for charity has been an incredible journey but finally winning a regional title means so much to me. It feels like a massive weight off my shoulders.’’

Away from Miss England, Isobel is a well-known Equestrian rider, specialising in Showing and has competed at the Horse of the Year Show - the World’s Most Famous Horse Show - for 8 consecutive years, as well as the Royal International for a consecutive decade. 

The Miss England Final 2020 will be held at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham at the end of October. It may be held as a socially distanced event or potentially virtual, depending on the government’s advice.