BUBBLY Quarry Bank youngster Jade Owen has been crowned this year's Wordsley Festival Princess.

The seven-year-old fought off competition from 20 aspiring princesses to win the competition, held at Wordsley's Richardson Hall on Saturday May 17.

The vivacious Quarry Bank Primary School pupil is now set to open the Wordsley Festival event at midday on Saturday June 14 and looking forward to being treated like a princess all day long.

She will be joined by stylish 11-year-old Chloe Davies, from Wordsley's Ashwood Park Primary School, who was crowned the competition's first-ever Princess-in-Waiting.

Confident little Jade, who impressed the judges with her mature and humorous responses to compere Liz Skidmore's questions, said afterwards: "I'm flabergasted."

Her proud mum Sonia Bate said: "I'm over the moon. I can't believe it actually. Jade's very, very chatty - she can talk from the time she gets up in the morning to the time when she goes to bed, and she's always smiling."

Following her win - Jade was presented with a basket of flowers, a Festival Princess trophy and a silver pendant by Stourbridge MP Lynda Waltho - who was on the judging panel.

Contest organiser Karen Fielder said the event, supported by The Stourbridge News, had been a huge success.

She said: "I'm really, really overwhelmed. I'm really pleased with the way everything's gone. All the girls had lovely personalities and were really brave and courageous."