The new Weymouth Carnival queen and princesses have been selected.

Girls from around the county competed in a battle to become carnival royalty at the choosing ceremony, held at the Royal Hotel in Weymouth.

Samantha McIntosh, 30, was appointed as this year’s carnival queen and said she is ready to reign over the carnival in August.

She said: “I am over the moon to be this year’s carnival queen. I now have two beautiful princesses around me and I cannot wait to start working with them.

“It is amazing to get involved in the Weymouth and Portland community, I want to help people.”

Paris Montrose, 13, was appointed as the new carnival princess, a title which left her ‘gobsmacked’ according to her mother, Fiona.

She said: “It hasn’t kicked in yet. She is looking forward to raising more money for the Carnival charities and will also be raising money for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome charities because her brother died of it years ago.

“She is very confident and outgoing. Although she is only thirteen, she has the head of a twenty-year-old.”

Cerys Jones, 10, was also crowned as the new Junior Princess. Cerys’s mother, Joanne, admitted the competition has given her daughter a ‘big confidence boost.’

She said: “She was nervous before the event, it was my idea to enter her.

“We are originally from Weymouth but have only recently moved back and since then, Cerys has struggled socially. I wanted to give her a confidence boost so even if she didn’t win, she could see how loved she is by everyone.

“Her win has given her a great confidence boost. She is over the moon to have won and hasn’t talked about anything else since.”

The girls competed in three rounds designed to show off their personalities to the panel of judges.

Competitors were also given the opportunity to meet the Mayor of Weymouth and Portland, Cllr Kevin Brookes, who attended the event. 
Stacie Lowry, organiser of the choosing ceremony, admitted it was harder than ever to pick the carnival royalty.

She said: “All the girls put their hearts into it. The scores were so close it was hard for the judges to choose the winners. I am really excited for the upcoming year. Sam, the new carnival queen has a heart of gold and it shows.”