Aine Gormley from Enniskillen recently returned after she jetted off to Manilla for the awards ceremony.

The PhD student at the University of Ulster in Coleraine had won the Northern Ireland Miss Earth title.

The 25-year-old, who has a degree in environmental science, went on to compete against contestants from around the world to try and win the pageant - which has the theme, 'beauties for a cause'.

Despite losing out on the main title, Aine, who is a member of the Environmental Science Association of Ireland (ESAI), the Irish Quaternary association (IQUA), and the Institution of Environmental Sciences, said she had a great time.

"I had an absolutely fantastic time, it was just a different world," she said.

"We were based in Manilla for the first week and during this time we took part in the Philippine 'Deal or No Deal' TV show.

"The group did the opening dance and then each girl had a money case for the show's contestants to pick."

Aine's mum, boyfriend and two friends also flew out to support her during the compettion.

During the final round of the competition a special award called 'beauty for a cause' worth $$5,000, was created.

"I got into the final five for this, along with Miss Singapore, Congo, South Africa and Sierra Leone.

"We were interviewed, and had to give a short presentation to the Vietnamese National Youth Federation and the Miss Earth chairman on what we had done for the protection of the environment."