AS THE Platinum Jubilee celebrations fade away, Worcester Carnival organisers have revealed their very own Queen for the 2022 extravaganza.
Melanie Eastwood will be crowned on July 2 by the Mayor of Worcester Coun Adrian Gregson in the heart of the carnival village on Pitchcroft.
She will be supported by 13 princesses this year. The committee wanted to include all the applicants, aged six to eight years old, after they had waited so long since the last event.
Melanie, 36, is married and has two children Jack, 7 and Charlotte, 11. She works as a night health care assistant with experience in hospital, hospice, domiciliary, dementia and nursing care.
Alongside her job Melanie fills her time volunteering and supporting the community.
She volunteers for Action for Children and Worcester Community Trust where she is involved in a range of projects from arranging community fun days, making puddings for the over 60s snack and chat to baby and toddler group.
She also fund-raises for her children’s schools supporting the PTFA and is currently waiting for checks so she can regularly visit Maggs Day Centre to help the homeless and support with hand and nail care to prevent risk of sores and infection.
In addition, she is a tawny owl with Warndon 4th Brownie group and during the holidays supports staff at The Ronkswood Hub to put on breakfast clubs for children and their families who rely on school dinners.
Melanie is also in the middle of writing her first children’s book about her son as a superhero and his autistic traits which are his superpowers.
“I always wanted to be carnival queen but felt I may not match up to what people may see as typically beautiful, to me that’s what the Queen was like out of a storybook,” she said.
“I do think it’s important to remember we all come in different shapes and sizes, to accept and embrace ourselves is a beautiful thing.
“If I could teach my daughter anything in life it would be to be happy in your own skin and you always have something to offer no matter what age, size, race, gender, or sexual orientation.
“We are all worthy and to learn about your own self-worth is very important for your mental health.
“As Carnival queen now, I see a platform I could use to reach out to my wider community and to support and empower themselves and others to bring back the support we once had and the community spirit that we showed during the pandemic,” she added.
Chris King from the Worcester Carnival committee said: “It was obvious from the moment we met Melanie she had as big a personality as she has heart.
“She is the friendliest person you can meet and is always looking for ways to help out anyone she can.”
Visit www.worcester-carnival.co.uk for more.
