A SHOP owner has challenged businesses to try to take her store’s Weymouth Carnival trophies in a bid to further boost this year’s revamped event.

Jan O’Brien’s fancy dress firm The Party Shop, in Weymouth, is currently the proud owner of two carnival prizes, the Fusco Cup and the Dougal Plate.

She confirmed her shop was entering a float in this year’s procession – and wants other companies to try to eclipse her efforts for the good of the event.

It is partly thanks to Mrs O’Brien that the floats are back in the carnival this year.

She was among those who felt the heartbeat of the carnival had gone with the loss of motorised floats and she started a petition calling for their return.

Mrs O’Brien said: “Hopefully this is a really good challenge for local businesses. People love a good challenge, don’t they?

“It would be great for lots of firms to try and beat us and take our crowns. If everyone’s trying hard then the floats will be more impressive.”

Mrs O’Brien’s Abbotsbury Road store has held the Fusco Cup, for best local trade float, since 2004 and was handed the Dougal Plate, for best crowd appeal, in 2007.

She said: “We’re putting in a big float again this year – which I think goes without saying.

“We’re really proud the carnival is back.

“I know some people who haven’t entered for 15 years are taking part this year, so I think it’s going to be spectacular. We can’t wait.”

Mrs O’Brien said the more firms that take up her challenge and enter the procession, the better. She added: “Over the past two years local businesses haven’t really supported the carnival.

“Hopefully by setting this challenge, more people will get behind it.

“We hope someone beats us, in a way, because that will make Weymouth Carnival even better. It’s the taking part, not the winning, that really counts.”

Carnival committee chairman Robert Sedgbeer says local companies have already been in touch about entering floats and there is a ‘real buzz’ about this year’s event.