Bill Lomas

IN THE clerk’s bi-monthly magazine, for town clerks throughout the UK, is a special feature called ‘The Word on the Street’ written by David Mitchell, the town crier for the city of Chester.

It tells of the benefits of towns and cities having a town crier.

There are 200-plus town criers in this country and more around the world.

There are criers in Bermuda, Canada, America, Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium and a lot of other places.

Town criers have had a revival since they were put out of business when newspapers, radio and television came into being.

So, the tourist element had a deciding factor to the revival of the town criers.

The town crier became known as someone with a colourful livery, a loud voice, an engaging personality and regular sightings for the locals and tourists/visitors, a wonderful attraction for the town.

A town crier could officiate at weddings, open village fetes, lead parades and switch on Christmas lights. He became a valuable resource for the whole community. There are at present 40 lady criers doing the same valuable job as the guys.

In five-and-a-half years, I have been abused three times, once by the same guy who did it twice on separate occasions and once last

Saturday.

The first one was from Stoke and the one last Saturday was not a local. So, it’s sometimes not a pleasant job to do.

This is where the phrase, “Don’t kill the messenger”, comes from. It has to be handled in a calm way.

As I walk through the town, mainly Derby Street, I get quite a few people who have a complaint or statement to make about something or other.

I always try to look at all the positive things we have in our town.

We should all stand together as we come out of the pandemic back into some kind of normality.

I want to mention a new venture that has started in our lovely town and its called Leek Weddings. This is the brainchild of Emma Wisely.

Without going into too much detail here, as the full story appears on the facing page of today’s paper, it offers weddings for the terminally ill.

The venture is available, wedding dresses, men’s dress and everything that is needed to give this wonderful free service.

Please look it up on Facebook and elsewhere.

The official opening is on June 11 at unit 8 and 9, Town Yard Industrial Estate, in Station Street at 10am.

Just a quick thanks for the donations given to me and the two donations of sweets for the children.