County News: Town criers compete in contest in Sussex town

More than 20 contestants from around the country took part in the event in Hastings, including entrants from the Netherlands and Belgium.

The event was compered by Hastings’ own town crier, Jon Bartholomew, and saw performances of the criers judged on volume, diction, clarity and inflection.

Peter White, who has been town crier of Seaford since 1977, was one of the entrants.

He said: “I’ve taken part almost every year since 1980. The highest I’ve come so far has been third place but I enjoy coming along as it’s my local competition. It really is all about taking part.

“It’s keeping a tradition going and Seaford has had a town crier since 1865. You meet an amazing bunch of people.

“Most of the town crying I do is for charity events, musicals or to publicise events. I’ve done some odd things though, like leading a bride down the altar.”

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