Miss Ramsgate Organisation 2022

The Miss Ramsgate Organisation held their Annual Selection Dance on Saturday March 5, 2022 at the Manston Sports and Social Club. Girls aged between 14 - 21 years who reside in the CT11 or CT12 postcode were eligible to enter.

The competition was held in two parts. The first round in the afternoon was where the contestants sat around a table with the five judges and have an informal chat. The second round was in the evening and was a more formal affair. The contestants answered questions put to them by the compere for the evening, Ralph Hoult OBE.

The event was well attended by visiting Carnival Courts from all over Kent, with Lydd and Sheppey being the furthest away. The existing Court of Ramsgate made emotional speeches of thanks before performing a Carnival tradition of a final curtsy to their parents and the handing over of their crowns and sashes.

The Judges were looking for a good personality, good conversation skills and deportment. They commented that they had had a very difficult time making a decision, as the four contestants were all lovely girls and there was only a point or two between them. The judges for the evening were; Kent County Council Councillor Trevor Shonk; his wife, Mandy Shonk; President of the Association of Kent Carnival Organisations, Mrs Stella Collingwood; and former Ramsgate Carnival Queens, Miss Candice Walker (1997-98) and Miss Louisa Redford Taylor (2017-18).

During the evening, which was filled with fun and laughter on the dance floor, Chairman, Roger Pearce, and Court Manager, Marion Pearce presented awards to those who have helped and supported them over the last ten years. They asked Ralph Hoult and Mac Wilkinson to become Honorary Members of the Miss Ramsgate Organisation, while Councillor Trevor Shonk was made President and Mandy Shonk, Vice President. They also thanked the Mayor of Ramsgate, Councillor Raushan Ara, for attending the event, for the support that she and the Town Council have given to the Miss Ramsgate Organisation and for their sponsorship of the evening.

At around 9:30pm, the adjudicator for the evening, Mac Wilkinson, who had supervised the judging and added up the judges score sheets, gave the results in a sealed envelope to Chairman, Roger Pearce, to open and announce the winners.

The title of Deputy Queen is always awarded to the Queen from 2021, who is stepping down, who in this case was Alyssa Redford Taylor; Deputy Princess is Madeline Le-Mare; Ramsgate Princesses are Lana Pearce and Charley Bowell and Miss Ramsgate 2022 is 17-year-old Lucy Woodward. The girls were all crowned by the Mayor of Ramsgate, Councillor Raushan Ara.

They will form the Ramsgate Town Court and are looking forward to a very enjoyable year serving Ramsgate in any way they can, as well as helping out with charity work and taking part in carnivals across Kent, Essex and North London where they will be representing the town.

Please come and say hello if you see them out and about, and they will always be happy to have a photograph taken with you. Thanks to all the Committee Members for all their help and everyone who helped to make the evening happen: Dawn, Mick, Peter, Paige, Chris and to the staff of the Manston Sports and Social Club.

Written by:
Marion Pearce,
Court Manager, Miss Ramsgate Organisation