A hairdresser from Largs who suffers a rare skin condition has been selected to represent Glasgow in the Miss Great Britain competition.

Aimee McKay, 27, will compete against 40 other ladies from all around the UK - and is hoping that her entry can be groundbreaking in a very special way.

We told of Aimee's incredible story in May this year about how she suffers from the skin condition Vitiligo.

It is caused by the lack of a pigment called melanin in the skin. Melanin is produced by skin cells called melanocytes, and it gives skin its colour.

In vitiligo, there are not enough working melanocytes to produce enough melanin in the skin. This causes white patches to develop on her skin.
Aimee, who grew up in Irvine, spent time on Rothesay before coming to work as a hair stylist at Salon 17 in Boyd Street, Largs. 

She lives in Fairlie with husband Ewan, and told the News that winning the Scottish heat of the competition as Miss Glasgow was overwhelming.

Largs and Millport Weekly News: Glittering Prize - Aimee is congratulated upon victoryGlittering Prize - Aimee is congratulated upon victory (Image: Aimee McKay)

"I was absolutely thrilled, I just couldn't believe it," said Aimee. "It was so nice to win the main prize on the evening but I also won some of the different awards which were on offer on the evening including charity and swimwear awards.

"It was an amazing night, and I am still in shock."

The prestigious event was held in The Broadcroft Hotel in Kirkintilloch, and included former STV newsreader Sophie Wallace, who was one of the judges, having previously won Miss Scotland.

Aimee revealed that an extra round was added on the evening due to the competition being so strong, and her moving speech about how her parents inspired her in front of an audience of 160 people was a pivotal moment.

Largs and Millport Weekly News: Crowning glory for Aimee!Crowning glory for Aimee! (Image: Aimee McKay)

Aimee is now heading to the Miss Britain grand final in Leicester on October 20 and can't wait, and has mentors Olivia and Katy who will help her on her way

Aimee thanked her strong support base of 28 people of friends and family who came up and cheered her on with a mini-bus coming up from Largs.
Speaking about the secret of her success, Aimee said: "It shows you that you don't need to be in the industry to be successful.

"I didn't come from a modelling background but put a lot of hard work and determination into it which makes it so rewarding that the hard work paid off and quite emotional when the final result came in. It was amazing."

Talking about how she wants to raise awareness about her rare skin condition, Aimee said: "I want to use the platform and use social media and want to do a 'perfectly imperfect' campaign which I am planning to launch over the coming months.

"I want to show that no matter what you have been through you can still be confident with it and even when I was at the big event on Sunday, I had a tan so it was more noticeable than it normally is.

"I think what Sunday night shows you is that anything really is possible and dreams do come true and I want to inspire others."

Largs and Millport Weekly News: Aimee visited her first local business, Sharp's Bar, as Miss Glasgow, pictured with Nick and Sara VeitchAimee visited her first local business, Sharp's Bar, as Miss Glasgow, pictured with Nick and Sara Veitch (Image: Newsquest)

Aimee explained in her last interview with the News that there is no real cure, and wants to prove to younger girls that you can do what I do and there are no barriers.

And Aimee has already broken down barriers, competing in the Race for Life 10k back in May, and raising £500 for Cancer Research UK, and  was involved in a major fundraising effort with her school to build a creche in Malawi which to this day feeds 3,000 impoverished African children, when growing up in Rothesay..

Mum and dad, Claire and John, also live in Largs, and Aimee and her family have rallied round to raise funds for Kidney Research over the years, after her dad donated a kidney to an unknown person.