THE Saltcoats Sea Queen Festival defied the weathermen’s gloomy predictions at the weekend with the fun putting smiles on everyone’s faces.

Locals and out of town visitors ignored the storm warnings and had another successful gala day.

This year’s Queen Amie Main and Captain Ben Wallace along with their Royal Party kicked off the fun with the traditional parade from the Argyle Centre through the streets to Melbourne Park where Aime was crowned by last year’s Queen Karis Kean.

In this the year of the centenary of the First World War an especially poignant addition to the parade was the Royal British Legion Scotland float accompanied by local MP Katy Clark.

Sea Queen committee member Isabella Salvona said: “The crowds were fantastic. The kids just ignored the bit of rain we had and carried on enjoying themselves.

“We are really building this event back up year by year.”