Garstang Town Crier Competition 2011.

2011 Another great year for Garstang Arts and Music Festival and a big thank you to all those volunteers whose hard work and dedication make this annual event the success it has become.

This year special thanks must go to Garstang Town Crier Hilary McGrath for organising the Town Crier Competition the finale of which was held in Cherestanc Square.

Despite inclement weather the Garstang town crier competition attracted eleven entrants from all over North West England with John Robinson from Biddulph emerging victorious.

The results for the Town Crier competition 2011 are:

• Winner — John Robinson - Biddulph
• Runner Up — Eliza Mowe - Barnoldswick
• Third — Terry Stubbings - Gainsborough
• Best dressed escort — Trish Stubbings - Gainsborough
• Best dressed couple — Richard and Barbara Mathews - Kendal
• Best dressed crier — John Robinson - Biddulph
• Best Fairtrade cry — Mike Chapman - Proud Preston

Town Crier Contestants.

• Bakewell — Brenda Willison
• Barnoldswick — Eliza Mowe
• Biddulph — John Robinson
• Carnforth — Frank Barton
• Clitheroe — Roland Hailwood
• Gainsborough — Terry Stubbins
• Huddersfield — Vic Watson
• Kendal — Richard Mathews
• Litchfield — Ken Knowles
• Proud Preston — Mike Chapman
• Crier to Lord Of The Manor Of Rode (Staffs) — John Parsons

Of course no Town Crier competition can succeed without the judges.

• Sustained volume and clarity — Professor James Dodding
• Diction and inflection — Sue Hubbard
• Confidence and bearing — James Douglas
• Accuracy — Diana Douglas
• Best Dressed — Sandra Perkins

Our Town Criers started the day walking around Garstang town…stopping along the way to ring their bells in unison. We were lucky to at least see sunshine for the morning’s procedures. In the afternoon, the next generation of criers were encouraged when children were invited to “have a go” ringing the bell, wearing the hat and shouting OYEZ! OYEZ! as loud as they could with all young participants winning a goody bag!

The Garstang Town Crier Competition could well become a regular feature of future Garstang Arts and Music Festivals.

Provisional dates for Garstang Arts and Music Festival 2012 are Saturday 18th to Monday 27th August 2012.