THE queen for this year's Worcester Carnival has been announced.

Katie Cooper, 23, will wear the crown whilst Jess Pinches, 29, has been appointed princess before she takes on the top job in 2018.

Carnival president, Cllr Alan Feeney, who sat on the selection panel said: "This is a wonderful outcome. There was huge interest in the role and the quality of candidates was very high indeed.

"We were resolved that we wanted real people who have real experiences in life.

"We wanted someone that little girls from a normal background could look up to and say “That could be me one day”.

"With Katie and Jess, we know that we have dedicated and hard working people from honest, down to earth backgrounds.

"I hope that as many of Worcester’s residents as possible will join us on the day to watch them being crowned.”

It is the first time the queen has been appointed in Worcester for over 20 years.

Ms Cooper said: "I am so excited to be given this opportunity to be your carnival queen. I am a young disabled woman and I also have a young daughter who has Cerebral Palsy.

"I have always pushed myself to achieve everything and anything I want in life and I will always make sure my daughter does the same.

"Growing up, I was very shy and I would try to hide my disability, however over the years I have learnt to be confident and comfortable in my own skin, so I want to raise awareness and be an advocate for individuals with disabilities and show people that being disabled does not mean you cannot do every day normal activities or achieve your goals.”

Ms Pinches added: "This role isn't just a role for me; it means a lot. I love my city and I am very proud to call it my home.

"Taking on this role means I can do as much as possible for the charities involved and the community.

"I am so excited to be able to mix with the public of Worcester and make everyone a part of it all.

"This is what it's all about; the charities and community as well as bringing everyone together to do the best we can for our lovely city.”

They will be crowned at Worcester Carnival on Saturday July 1 at 10am, the day of the carnival, before performing their first official duty which is to hand out balloons to children at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

They will be joined on the day by a boy and girl from Acorns Children’s Hospice who will serve as their attendants.

They will then attend various events around the city to raise funds for the carnival’s chosen charities, New Hope, Acorns Children’s Hospice and Headway Worcester.

Anyone wishing to have the carnival queen and princess attend an event from July 1, contact carnival organisers on info@worcester-carnival.co.uk.