Plea for more youngsters to take part in Hayfield May Queen

There is still spaces which ned to be filled for flower girls, beefeaters and shield carriers

The longest-running may queen parade in the country has struggled to get the numbers it needs for this year’s festivities.

Chairman Maureen Spiers said: “It is an honour to be part of something with such history but it is a real shame that not all places of our retinue have been filled this year.”

The new royalty were all smiles at the memorabilia cafe

There are still spaces available for more than a dozen children to be flower girls or boys, shield carriers and beefeaters on Saturday, May 12.

Maureen is part of a new committee which has taken over the running of the historic event and earlier in the month held a memorabilia cafe for people to take a walk down memory lane and see how the may queen has evolved.

She said: “We even had a dress, handbag and gloves from a lady in waiting who has kept her dress from the 1960s which was just amazing.

“The may queen has been important to so many families for generations and it seems sad that we are now struggling to find new members.

The rosebuds and junior queens for Hayfield May Queen

“We never stopped during the war when many other villages did but there just isn’t enough people coming forward to fill the spaces we need.”

The committee, which has already picked the queen, the junior queen, the rose bud and the princess, has extended its applications for other posts.

Maureen said: “Everything we do is for the community; the money raised on the day will go back to the local scouts, brownies and football clubs and this year’s theme is the big top circus so we have loads of entertainment geared towards keeping the children happy.”

The crowning ceremony has been reduced to just 30 minutes in a bid to attract more people. Anyone interested should email [email protected] by Sunday, April 8.