Sittingbourne carnival chairman Pam Griggs has stood down after 27 years.

The great-grandmother-of-four resigned on Saturday after the selection of the town’s new carnival court at Woodcoombe Sports and Social Club in Murston.

She said: “I should have retired last year but I couldn’t find anyone to hand over the reins.

“But since then, Liz Swan from Faversham has travelled with the girls and she will take over as the new chairman.”

Mrs Griggs first joined the carnival in 1991. She said: “It was totally unplanned.

“My husband Ron’s cousin was chairman and when the float driver let them down for Maidstone carnival Ron offered to tow the float.

“We were invited to the carnival dance in the evening and and then to the next committee meeting where I suddenly found myself as treasurer.”

She became chairman for the first time in 1993 then handed over to Bill Smith, who stood down in 2007. Mrs Griggs then became chairman.

She recalled: “When I began, I don’t think we had any forms to fill. There were no road closure forms or risk assessments. We just got on and did it.”

The carnival was abandoned in 2008 when police demanded £4,000 to marshal the parade. The procession was also pushed back to September in another year when additional paperwork threatened to drown the committee.

Now the association must find £3,500 a year but takings on the day have dropped to a few hundred pounds.

Its £5 million public liability alone costs £700 and booking marching bands, apart from the Sittingbourne Sea Cadets, is out of the question because of the costs.

Mrs Griggs, who turns 75 on Monday and celebrated her 53rd wedding anniversary on Tuesday, said: “When I started nearly every town had its own carnival but public apathy and increased red tape has slashed the number of courts from 30 to 15.

“But it is still great fun to take part and hopefully, it will pick up again. There are still many people who like a carnival. It just needs more to help.”

Sittingbourne's carnival can be traced back 125 years to 1893.

Anyone who can help with donations, sponsorship or wants to enter a float in this year’s carnival, which is on Saturday, June 23, should contact Liz Swan by email at e.swan@sky.com

New Court Crowned

Eleanor Hopkins, 17, has been named the new Miss Sittingbourne along with princesses Abbie-Jane Barnes, 16, and Alexandra Wastell, 19.

The three girls were the only contestants at the selection dance at the Woodcoombe Sports and Social Club in Church Road, Murston on Saturday.

One other entered but failed to show on the night. The girls were crowned by Swale Mayor Cllr Colin Prescott.

All girls were quizzed by judges Georgina Wadey, a former chairman of the Court of Kent, Leanne Martin who was Miss Sittingbourne 2008 and Miss Kent 2011 and Mel Fowler who chairs the Invicta Kent court.

Compere Martin Goodhew also asked the competitors questions as 150 friends and relatives and 13 other carnival courts from Kent looked on. Stella Collingwood, a friend of the carnival, was adjudicator.

The girls were judged on their general appearance, speaking voice, personality, confidence and deportment. The contest was open to girls in the town aged 15 to 21.

Their first official appearance will be this Saturday at the selection of the Teynham carnival court.

Welcoming the new court, a spokesman for Sittingbourne Carnival Association said: “We wish them all a very happy and successful year ahead.”