THE winner and runners-up of our Little Angels baby portrait competition have been announced.

The competition, which launched at Angel Place Shopping Centre on April 17, was held by the Mercury in association with Angel Place and Timeless Images.

Parents could bring their pre-school aged children to the shopping centre for a free portrait on April 17, 18 and 19, and the pictures were then published in the Mercury for readers to vote for their winner.

Chantelle Frost and one-year-old Roary have been crowned the winners, followed by Gabby Portman and 10-month-old Roman in second place.

Bridgwater Mercury: The winning picture of Roary.The winning picture of Roary. (Image: Timeless Images)

In joint third are Sally Venning with one-and-a-half-year-old Rosie Waters, and Kimberley Richardson with one-year-old Sienna Richardson-Yates.

Chantelle, who learnt the good news on Saturday, said: “I’m really proud, and I was really shocked when I found out.

“Roary’s an easy-going baby, so he was happy to sit there (for the photograph).

“He’s really serious but very cheeky at the same time. He’s known as ‘Mr Serious’, as you might tell from the picture!”

Bridgwater Mercury: Runner-up Roman and third-placed Rosie and Sienna.Runner-up Roman and third-placed Rosie and Sienna. (Image: Timeless Images)

And she’s decided to hold off from telling her wider family the news, instead letting them find out for themselves in our newspaper.

“I’m going to wait for them to see it in the Mercury,” she said.

Chantelle and 15-month-old Roary will receive an Angel Place hamper of goodies and a 20x16 canvas of the winning image. There are also runner-up prizes.

Roary is the first Little Angels winner since 2021, when the winning entrant was a toddler called Ayda, whose dad Bill Chambers said was a “wicked” result.

Speaking at the time, he said: “My other daughter won the competition in 2018, and my niece won it in 2015. So, we have got three winners in the family now.”