AS Miss York 2008 prepares to hand back her coveted sash, the beauty queen has been reflecting on a whirlwind year that has seen her travel to China and Korea.

Helen Jackson, whose reign will end on April 5, said she was sad that her 12 months as Miss York were drawing to a close.

“I have been on the most incredible journey,” she said. “I have done everything from travelling the world to attending the opening of the new Guardian Angels unit at York Hospital.”

The 20-year-old, from Claxton, near York, said her highlight was being an ambassador for the city at the Miss England pageant in London and at the international finals of World Miss University in China and Korea.

“It has been a fantastic year and I’ve enjoyed every moment,” she said. “Going to Korea and China seems like a dream now. That was quite literally a different world.

“It was my first taste of an international beauty pageant and I was in the competition with girls who had been in previous Miss Worlds. I learnt a lot from that experience.

“I’d never been so far away from home and it was amazing to be able to tell people I was from York. I was shocked at how many people actually knew York – even girls from countries like Greece had heard of it.”

Helen, who is a second-year law student at the University of Newcastle, said she had loved being involved with so many charity events.

“Being invited to the opening of the Guardian Angels unit was particularly special because it was so heart-warming to see this new facility up and running to care for children from my own city.

“I’ve got three younger siblings aged ten, eight and five, so the Guardian Angels Appeal was something very close to home.”

Helen said she wanted to thank everybody for their support over the year, including her parents, Linda and Simon Jackson, Miss York organiser, Vivienne Lee, and her boyfriend, Henry Richardson.

She said she also wanted to thank her sponsors, including The Press, Manhattan Hair Design, in Goodramgate, York, and the Jinnah Restaurant, in Flaxton.

“It has been a hectic year,” she said. “All the events I’ve been to up and down the country and abroad have definitely made me more confident and independent.

“I’ve met so many different people and I just feel so lucky to have had this experience.”

Helen said that if she was offered a modelling contract she would jump at the chance, but she was also considering a legal career.

“My second-year exams are in eight weeks, so I’m just about to start my revision,” she said.