AFTER featuring a photo from the 1958 Miss Weymouth competition, we are delighted to report that the woman who appears to be the very first Miss Weymouth has come forward.

Stella Trickey, then Stella Marshalsay-Farm, won the competition in 1952 as a 24-year-old.

She said: "I think I was the first Miss Weymouth.

"They used to have two contests. The first was of the women in their bathing costumes.

"The next was of us in our dresses. I won both contests.

"I was crowned by Mr James who was the mayor at the time.

"I also remember Mr Hutchings working on the stage. He used to own two of the main hairdressers in Weymouth - Mason Trumps and Mason Edwards.

"He was the judge in the second contest."

Stella, who is now a 87-year-old grandmother of five, won £5 for becoming Miss Weymouth.

She said: "I was from Chickerell and I remember there were two more girls from Chickerell taking part, they were a Miss Huddy and and Angela McCarthy.

"A lot of holidaymakers used to come down and enter the competition.

"I remember for my contest a friend of mine came back from America and brought back a very glamorous bathing costume which I wore."

Stella said it was a pleasant surprise to see the piece in Looking Back about Miss Weymouth 1958.

She said: "I remember the winner of that competition, Shirley.

"She was much younger and she was very glamorous.

"I remember being in the cloakroom and she advised me to put powder on my legs."

After winning the competition Stella moved away with her husband, who was in the RAF, living in locations such as Bath and Greenwich.

"I always kept a cottage in Weymouth and I love living here now.

"I still go swimming in the sea every day.

"I love being outdoors. Our family has always been outdoors people.

"We used to have a beach tent and we would take it to Chesil Beach and camp there."

Stella says she has no regrets about entering the Miss Weymouth competition.

"I was always game for a bit of fun and entering things.

"I think it was a very tasteful competition. The women wouldn't wear anything skimpy like bikinis, it was always a one piece swimming costume."

I was born in 1&2 Howards Terrace Chiuckerell 30 years ago Wilmslow Road in Chickerell born there.

Was the first Miss Weymouth