On Wednesday, July 8 the best kept secret in Holsworthy was revealed as this year's Pretty Maid stepped out through the Belfry doors of the parish church of St Peter and St Paul.

As the clock struck 12pm, Samantha Lock stepped out through the church doors to greet the scores of residents who had gathered outside.

Unique to the town, the Pretty Maid tradition has been running since 1841, when Rev Thomas Meyrick instigated it by bequeathing a sum of £100 to a 'Pretty Maid' charity.

He stipulated that the chosen young lady would be a Holsworthy spinster under the age of 21, and that she should be "generally esteemed as the most deserving, the most handsome, and the most noted for her quietness and attendance at church."

Fourteen year old Samantha is a student at Holsworthy Community College and a former pupil of Morwenstow and Holswor­thy Primary Schools. The daughter of Nigel and Jackie Lock of Kingswood Meadow, Holsworthy, Samantha has a twelve year old sister named Rebecca.

As well as being a regular attendee at Holsworthy Church and a member of the church choir, Samantha's hobbies include playing hockey for Bude Hockey Club, swimming, Guides and playing the piano. She is due to take her Grade 4 exam in November.

See next week's 'Post' for a full report and photos from Court Leet and St Peter's Fair.