A NATIONAL award winning teenager is returning to head Dunmow’s carnival court.

Lucy Bennett, 15, was last year’s carnival queen and in October entered a UK wide competition and became National Carnival Guild queen too.

The schoolgirl, who lives in Felsted, applied to be the town’s queen this year and was selected by the judges for her confidence, poise and personality.

Joining Lucy will be Mia Simmons, 11, a Helena Romanes student and Clarisse Brignull, ten, who attends Dunmow Primary School. Both princesses live in Dunmow.

The trio will represent Dunmow at their first carnival at Braintree on June 8 and then visit other towns across Essex

before Dunmow carnival on September 21 which has a musical theme.