Moorlands Village Hall
School Road, Bagnall

BAGNALL CHESTNUT QUEEN FETE

Sunday 15th June 2008 - starts at 1.00pm at St Chad's Church

The Bagnall Chestnut Queen Fete committee is delighted to announce that its 2008/09 Fete Queen is Miss India Mae Pearson. India will be crowned at the village's traditional fete on Sunday 15 June 2008 at a ceremony that takes place at the Moorlands Village Hall in School Road, Bagnall, Stoke-on-Trent. India takes over the reins from current fete queen Morgaine Blake in a tradition which has roots stretching back to 1922.

The 2008 Queen - India Pearson

This year's Chestnut Queen ceremony commences at 1.00pm with a procession of the new and retiring Chestnut Queens from St. Chad's Church, Bagnall, led by Piper Chris Hunter from the Black Watch before the new Chestnut Queen is crowned in a ceremony that takes place in the grounds of the Moorlands Village Hall. At the crowning ceremony the retiring Queen, Morgaine Blake, 13, will present a cheque, to Charlie Houston-Brown, Treasurer of the Moorlands Village Hall Committee. The cheque represents money raised at a number of community fundraising events which the Queen has attended during the year. The new Chestnut Queen, India Pearson, will be crowned by former Chestnut Queen ceremony organiser Mrs Shelia Tipper, who knows India very well. Following the Crowning Ceremony, India will undertake her first duty as Chestnut Queen: officially opening the fete.

India Pearson is nine years old and attends Endon Hall Primary School. She is the youngest of three sisters and has lived in Bagnall all her life, taking part in the Chestnut Queen Retinue since the age of three. She is very excited about being chosen as the Chestnut Queen this year.

India enjoys singing and is a member of the school choir. She loves to draw and paint and collects dolls houses. At present she has three houses and a shop all of which she regularly re-arranges. She also finds time to look after, and play with, three family dogs Chester, Drake and Meg as well as Maisie the cat. India also loves burning off energy on the trampoline.

The fete helps to raise funds to keep open the Moorlands Village Hall in Bagnall as a vital community resource. Chair of the fete organising committee, Samantha Calvert, notes, "The Chestnut Queen Fete is a great way for all the family to celebrate Father's Day in this beautiful semi-rural village. We hope both local residents and those from surrounding areas will come along to enjoy a great family day out and to help to raise funds to support our village hall."

Bagnall has a long tradition of village fayres. Since the 1920s, a fete has been held in Bagnall village in the form of a traditional agricultural fayre which originally featured the crowning of a Rose Queen. The Chestnut Queen fete, which revives these traditions, was established in 1997 on the centenary of the planting of five chestnut trees on the Bagnall village green to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. These trees lend their name to the new queen ceremony.

FOR MORE PRESS INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT SAM CALVERT ON 01782 505430 OR 07967 042050 or email samcalvert@samcalvert.freeserve.co.uk

Notes to editors:

· A photograph of India Pearson is available. Please call Sam Calvert on 01782 505430 or email samcalvert@samcalvert.freeserve.co.uk

· The Moorlands Village Hall is a registered charity. There are around ten regular bookings at the hall which provide the community with facilities to try everything from kick boxing to dog training. The hall is also available for private hire for weddings, parties and meetings.

· The Chestnut Queen is chosen each year from among the Retinue and she attends several community functions during the year that aim to raise funds for the Village Hall.

Serving the communities of Bagnall, Light Oaks & Baddeley Edge.

Charity Registration Number: 500639