Town crier competition in Bognor Regis is a triumph

14 criers, hosted by Bognor’s own Jane Smith, turned out for the event, which took place on the seafront bandstand and coincided with Armed Forces Day celebrations nearby. They hailed from all over the UK, including Bexhill, Sleaford and Arundel and brought their stunning home made regalia and booming voices with them.

In the first round, criers were judged on their ability to proclaim about their home town and, in the second, were asked to write cries on the theme of ‘something important to them.’ They were assessed on the accuracy of their cries, as well as clarity, content, diction and inflection.

Competition was stiff but, in the end, three winners emerged. In first place, came John Griffiths, from Sleaford, closely followed by Mark Wiley from Calne in Wiltshire in second place, and Jon Bartholomew from Bexhill in third.

It was a big day for the Sleaford crier, who also edged out a win in the best dressed category for his opulent green regalia.

"We had a fantastic day, and it was an absolute pleasure to host and introduce to Bognor Regis our amazing Town Crier’s who all do a wonderful job of representing their hometowns, Jane Smith said. “Thank you to all who came to take part, those who watched us on the seafront and everyone involved in putting this together. A great time was had by all!

She added that it was particularly nice to work alongside Armed Forces Day, which took place on the same day, a little ways down the seafront: “We start out at the RAFA club; a lot of our criers are ex-military, so it was really nice for them to meet and be greeted at the RAFA club. And after the drumhead service finished, we got to do a cry for people involved in conflicts over the years, and people receiving their medals; just anyone concerned with armed forces day really, we get to sort of tip our hats to them.”