An English tradition celebrating the older generation is making a comeback at a Hampshire carnival.

Every year women would go head to head to be crowned senior carnival queen, representing their town at events and fundraisers throughout the year.

But there has not been a senior queen in Romsey since 1992.

Now the town's carnival committee is bringing the tradition back after more than 20 years.

They are calling for ladies over the age of 60 to enter ahead of this year’s carnival in July.

Committee member Tracey Phipp said she wanted to bring the tradition back so that women of all ages were represented once more, after remembering how it worked when she was carnival queen in 1981 (pictured below).

Daily Echo: Tradition: Tracey Phipp (then Kemp) as carnival queen in 1981.

She has teamed up with committee chairman John Ray and secretary Pete Lomer to launch the search.

Tracey said: “I came up with the idea at the last committee meeting because I remember how it was back in the day.

“Back in the 80s there was always a buzz around springtime while the committee geared up for the selection process, to produce not only a queen and princess as we do now, but also, to represent the senior members of the community with a senior carnival queen.

“It was really nice to have an older lady to chaperone the younger ones.

“This representation of three generations was known as the Royal Family. In 1983, there was even a float on which past senior queens were seated.”

Its return comes after the event’s bed race made a comeback in 2013 after being axed in the 1990s due to spiralling costs to stage it.

The senior carnival queen will appear in the procession on July 19 alongside the 12 to 16-year-old carnival queen and seven to 11-year-old princess and their attendants.

The selection process for all three queens and attendants will begin on April 15.

Organisers are also planning a fundraising quiz night at the Comrades Club from 8pm on March 18.

For more information, visit romseycarnival.co.uk or email romseycarnival@hotmail.co.uk.