Bridport Carnival Princess 2008

Carnival Princess winner Anya Iwaszko, centre with attendants Gemma Gaylard, left and Rhea Webb, right

FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD Anya Iwaszko has beaten off competition from 10 other girls to be picked as the Bridport Carnival Princess for 2008. The Sir John Colfox School pupil came top with the judges at the carnival princess selection evening at the Conservative Club on Saturday night.

The tough selection process began two weeks before the big night when all the girls were photographed for the Bridport News and answered a number of questions about Bridport and carnival.

News readers were then given the chance to have their say on who should be given the honour of representing the town to help the judges. Finally the girls were invited to attend the selection evening and disco when they faced more questions and met the judges.

Anya, who said she likes that the whole community comes together for carnival to represent Bridport at its best, proved a hit with judges.

Junior Princess winner Charley Davidson

Her attendants will be Gemma Gaylard, 13, of Beaminster School, and Rhea Webb, also 13, of the Sir John Colfox School. Carnival chairman Shaun Fox said: "It gets harder and harder each year. We can only choose one girl to be princess and once again they were all really good so it made our decision very difficult. It is great to see so many girls coming back again, year after year, to support carnival. This year’s attendants Rhea and Gemma have both entered a number of times so it shows it is worth coming back again."

The junior princess will be 10- year-old Charley Davison of Bridport Primary School who impressed the judges with her confidence. She was picked from nine girls who entered the junior competition.

Holly Robinson, editor of the Bridport News which sponsors the competition, said: "We would like to thank all of the girls and their families for supporting carnival and the carnival princess competition.

"It is good to see so many girls willing to stand up and show they want to get involved and represent their town."

Bridport's carnival committee said they would like to thank Mystic Signs who provided the sashes.