Contest for Tipton Carnival Queen set to return

The historic Tipton Carnival Queen competition is set to return after being scrapped last year.

Organisers received numerous messages and phone calls asking for it to be re-instated after cancelling it due to a lack of interest.

So now they have decided to give it another go and are calling for entries. Tina Rigby, secretary of competition organiser Tipton Community Association, said: "When the story about us dropping the competition was in the Express & Star we had a massive response.

"People were really upset we were losing something so traditional.

"I think the number of entrants had fallen because people had become a little bit complacent.

"But when they realised it was going, they were keen to see it return."

The competition had been running for 47 years before it was scrapped last year.

Entries had slumped from as many as 20-plus to a handful.

But after the response to it being scrapped last year, Ms Rigby said that she was confident they would attract a decent number of contestants this time.

"We're really looking forward to the event," she added.

"If we could get 10 girls, that would be a healthy number. I think people have been put off in the past because they assume it is based purely on beauty."

This year's event will take place at the Brook Street Community Centre on February 25 from 7pm.

Any woman over the age of 16 with a DY4 postcode can enter, and a panel of judges will decide the winner based on the entrant's looks and personality.

That person is then asked to attend Tipton community events throughout the year and promote the Tipton Carnival, which takes place in June.

The competition used to be one of the main events in the Tipton calendar.

As well as the main Carnival Queen competition, a competition to find a Carnival Princess, for girls aged 12 to 15, will also return this year. The winner of this will also be decided on February 25.

A Rosebud competition, for youngsters aged nine to 11, and Sweet Pea competition, for children aged five to eight, will be held later.