THE winners of Miss Chard and Carnival Princess have been named after months of fundraising from the entrants.

The race to be named as Miss Chard and Carnival Queen started on May 5 with a launch event held at the Lordleaze Hotel, in Henderson Drive.

The converted 18th-century farmhouse was also the host of the announcement ceremony, in which Laura Swanston, 22, was named Miss Chard and Leah Smith, six, was named Carnival Princess.

The winners were announced by Jason Baker, Chard town councillor and chairman of Chard Carnival Committee, and proceedings were run by Carnival Princess coordinator Clare Brown.

Leah Smith was also the overall winner, as she raised £993. Also in attendance were fundraisers George Smith, six, and Annabelle Smith, four.

The two will be officially crowned on September 11.

Cllr Baker, who was named as the carnival committee chairman at the annual general meeting in February, said: “Thank you to all for their hard work in raising a fantastic amount of money. This will go a long way in securing the future of Chard Carnival.

“All is going well with planning for this year’s Chardcarnival and we have had several entries so far. The link to the entry form can be found on the Chard Carnival Facebook page.

“This year the children’s carnival will be on the same day as the main procession, and again the entry form is on Chard Carnival’s Facebook page.

“Also a big thank you to this year’s the sponsors – Razooks Hairdressers, Martin Smith Photos, Stokers Of Chard, Savill Andrews estate agents and the Lordleaze Hotel.”

There will be a carnival fundraising bingo event at Crowshute House on Saturday, September 10. The date for the annual fundraising quiz, which will be held at Lordleaze Hotel, is has been set for October 2. The Chard Carnival is being held on Saturday, October 8.

To contact Cllr Baker, email jason.baker@southsomerset.gov.uk.