A WOMAN who swapped the south of France for prison is hoping her connection with Tina Turner, Raquel Welch and video tape could win her a trip to California!

Judges of the TDK video tape Woman of the Year competition are agreed that, like the stars of their advertising campaign, Mrs Judith Moreux illustrates their slogan that some things never age.

Mrs Moreux (53) of Abbey Court, Radcliffe, was selected as a finalist and next week will travel to London on an all-expenses-paid trip to find out if she has won.

If she outshines the seven other nationwide finalists she will be flown to Los Angeles for a holiday and a haircut by top stylists.

"It would be terrific to win because I could visit my daughter, Katie, who works over there. She's the one who encouraged me to enter in the first place," said Mrs Moreux, who works in telesales for the travel company Airtours.

Liverpool-born Mrs Moreux describes herself as "a bit of a gipsy" and has experienced both the glamorous and grim side of life.

For ten years she lived in the South of France and had her own boutique in Nice. But on her return to England she decided she wanted to do something more beneficial and enter the probation service.

"I studied psychology at night school and did voluntary probation work for a year, but when it came to applying for a job I was told I was too old."

Undeterred, she bounced back and landed herself a job as a prison officer at Styal Prison, an experience she says she really enjoyed.

Her proud daughter said: "She's young, radiant, and her smile reflects her happy, hopeful and optimistic personality."

And competition judge Susan Edwards is equally as complimentary. "We received hundreds upon hundreds of entries but Judith's really stood out. She has endless energy and is an inspiration to those who know her."

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