A BEAUTY queen and budding journalist killed in a car crash had been set to chase her dream after discovering she had a 'raw talent' for journalism.

Skye Mitchell was due to study broadcast journalism at Salford University’s Media City Campus in September.

She died alongside Caitlin Huddleston when the green Toyota Yaris she was driving collided with a white Ford Transit van on the A595 near Bootle on Friday night.

In 2016, the 18-year-old, who had previously launched her own anti-bullying campaign, enjoyed a newsroom adventure after taking part in the Centre for Leadership Performance's Dream Placement scheme, spending time with The Mail.

Speaking at the time about the experience and her hopes for the future, Skye said: "Having a career in broadcast journalism has always been a dream of mine, but up until about a year ago I never thought it would be achievable.

"However, when I was invited to visit the BBC and ITV studios following my national anti-bullying campaign, I became inspired to go after this dream and not give up until I reach it.

"I've really enjoyed my time at The Mail and I have learnt so much. I genuinely am so sad to leave.

"I've even managed to get a few articles published while I've been here, and it felt amazing to be told I have a 'raw talent' for journalism - my time here is just making me want to learn and grow even more.

"Each day I've been becoming more and more excited to come into work. It's as though the more time I'm spending here, the more certain I'm becoming that this is the career path for me.

"I feel like the more experience I get, the more of a chance I have at achieving my dreams. Hopefully my placement week will be my first step towards a very successful career in journalism."

The brave 18-year-old took a stand against bullies and spoke out in 2015 about the effect of their words.

16 and reigning Miss Junior North West at the time, she daubed her face with insults thrown at her in the past.

She said: "The idea came about because all of those words were words I was called personally and I just wanted to show how they feel.

"It shows no matter how hard you try to forget them you never do because I still remember them. It never really leaves you.

"When I was younger I wasn't the prettiest child ever. I suffered nasty comments about my looks when I was about 12 or 13 years old.

"It started when I went in for the Millom carnival queen. The winner was picked out of a hat and people started saying it was fixed because I was not pretty enough to win.

"I wanted to prove them all wrong and prove something to myself, so I entered the Junior Miss South Lakes competition when I was 13 and I won that. It gave me a big confidence boost.

"The reason I wanted to do this is to help any young girls or boys out there who are being bullied. I want to show them there's not a reason, it's not them, it's not their fault. Bullies don't need a reason, it just happens to anyone.

"When it happens to you, you think 'is it me, is it something about me?', but it's not at all. It's nothing about you. It's about them, the bullies.

"I was lucky. I have a really good friendship group who helped me through it. Not all children do. They might be going through this on their own and I want them to know it's not about them."