The National Town Crier Competition in Rye on Saturday October 11 was a great success.
After lunch members of the public were invited to have a go at being a town crier, shouting “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!” and “God Save the King!”. The adults went first and it was interesting to hear just how loud they could be. The winner, Robert, had a cry of 117 decibels and there were two hot on his tail with 115.6 and 115. Children were then invited to have a go: two lovely little boys and a girl Annabelle, came forward. Annabelle was crowned the winner.
Annabelle:
Were you nervous standing on the podium – or was it just fun?
Yes, but when I started to do my cry it felt fine and I didn’t feel nervous anymore. It was fun.
Did you need persuading to do the cry or were you up for it right away?
I wasn’t going to straight away but when I saw the first boy go I knew I could do it.
Have you ever seen our town crier do a cry in Rye before ?
Yes, Paul did a cry at Mummy and Daddy’s wedding and I always see Arabella (the deputy town crier) at Rye events. My favourite day was Pirates’ Day.
Would you want to be a town crier one day when you grow up?
Yes, I have met Arabella lots of times. I want to be her when I am older.
Do you act in school plays?
I do lots of dancing and performing on stage. I go to Rye Dance Centre and this year I am going to be dancing in the Rye Players’ Pantomime!
Mum:
How did you feel when Annabelle won?
I was incredibly proud of her; I honestly didn’t know she could be that loud!
Is it the sort of thing she would normally get up and do – a challenge?
She’s quite confident and loves to show people what she can do. I knew she could get up there and do a good cry and I’m so glad she took the plunge and got on the podium. Her trophy is in pride of place in her room!
Where do you live? Are you from Rye??
We are very much a Rye family, with many generations of Rye people. We live and work in Rye and have done for nearly all of our lives. It’s really important to us that we support local events and our children learn about the history of their hometown and the traditions. We can’t wait for Bonfire!
We were lucky on Saturday to have Clear Air Flying capture the parade from above. Thank you Stuart, you are a star.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .