THE Queens have been selected for the 130th Lymm May Queen festival which takes place on Saturday, May 21, starting with a procession at 12 noon.
This year’s May Queen is 13-year-old Faye Griffiths who is a patrol leader with 2nd Lymm Guides and also a member of Latimer Hulse Lamda Drama Group.
She enjoys football and hanging out with her friends. She takes over from last year’s May Queen Charlotte Booker.
Rose Queen is 10-year-old Lilly Raftery from Little Bollington Primary School. She loves dancing and has been with Lymm Adivas since the age of four. She also enjoys football, playing out with friends and walking her dogs. She takes over from last year’s Rose Queen Leah Poole.
Originally known as Lymm & Oughtrington Bank of Hope Festival, the first-ever crowning was held in 1889. At that time the Queen was chosen from various Chapels in turn.
The very first Queen was Miss Amy Astley from the Congregational Church.
It involved all the villages that made up Lymm: Oughtrington, Heatley, Statham and Booths Hill. Each village had its own May Queen Committee. The May Queen event stopped due to the Second World War. In 1947 the May Queen was restarted and apart from a serious weather incident and Covid 19 the festival has continued with a now small, but very enthusiastic committee.
The May Queen and the Rose Queen plus the retinue are chosen every year in March, before the event. Anyone who lives in Lymm can apply and the age limit is 12.
Every year a theme is chosen and this is reflected in the procession which contains bands, dancers, school floats and floats from local organisations.
Following this year’s procession, there will be fair rides, stalls and food and drink for everyone to enjoy on the May Queen field.
New Rose Queen Lilly Raftery (right) with last year’s queen Leah Poole
For more details visit www.lymmmayqueen.co.uk
