Sundal Roy can't wait for the glitz and glamour of becoming Finchley's carnival queen on the weekend of July 16.

The 18-year-old A-level student at Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb, hopes she is the judges' choice for queen when it is chosen next month.

"This year, I want so much to be a part of the community spirit and for me, being carnival queen would be the ideal way to get involved in local celebrations. Finchley is my home and I honestly can't imagine wanting to live anywhere else no matter how rich or famous I become."

Sundal has got a place at Edinburgh or Sheffield universities to study architecture.

"I think I would make the best queen Finchley has ever seen as, when I set my mind to something, I commit 100 per cent. Having an excuse to get all dressed up and be a local celebrity for a weekend is a definite plus."

Roxanne Stedman, 23, in her final year at medical school, thinks she would make a great queen.

"The main reason I want to be crowned carnival queen is to prove that personality is just as important as appearance. I believe that my well-rounded personality shows that I have what it takes to be carnival queen."

Sara Couzens, 26, says she would enjoy getting involved with the culturally diverse community which makes Barnet a remarkable place to live.

Here is the final line-up of wannabe queens and princesses who will present themselves in front of a panel of judges at McDonald's' headquarters, in High Road, East Finchley, on June 14.

Candidates to be queen

Sara Couzens, 26, from Oakleigh Park

Liz Llewellyn, 45, from Hendon

Natasha Reid, 18, from Golders Green

Sundal Roy, 18, from Finchley

Kerry Anne Scrivens, 19, from Barnet

Roxanne Stedman, 23, from Finchley

Hoping to be a princess

Priya Agrawal, nine, from Finchley

Seema Agrawal, nine, from North Finchley

Joanna Breadmore, nine, from Finchley

Bansri Dhokia, 11, from Finchley

Kathleen Dyos, 11, from Colindale

Solange Fernandes, nine

Joanna Freeman, nine, from Whetstone

Danielle Janes, ten, from Whetstone

Asha Katz, 11, from Hendon

Katrina Smart, nine, from Barnet

Sasha Stafford, ten, from Hendon

Dhvani Thacker, nine, from Colindale

Jessie Watts, ten, from Friern Barnet

May 29, 2003 14:00