Decade of close shaves ends in victory

By Elaine Hammond

Published 19th Oct 2020, 10:49 GMT

Updated 20th Oct 2020, 09:47 GMT

Hear ye, hear ye – a Yorkshire town crier who regularly made the 600-mile round trip to Hastings to take part in a national competition finally found success in October 2010 after a decade of close shaves. Kevin Reid Griffiths from Skipton had been travelling to 1066 Country for the National Town Criers’ Championships for a decade before he took the title in its 58th year. The showdown attracts entrants from across the UK and it was Mr Griffiths who came out on top ten years ago in Priory Meadow, where 15 hopefuls went head to head. After a tour of the town, judges ranked the criers on volume, diction, clarity and inflection.

A delighted Mr Griffiths, town crier for Skipton, the Yorkshire Dales and the City of Bradford, said at the time: “I have been coming here for 10 years and had seconds and thirds but I had never won so it was starting to become a bit of a joke with my friends. I kept thinking ‘Will I ever win?’, so I was thrilled to come first. I think it’s important we keep the traditions alive. I used to come to Hastings as a kid and have always loved the place – even if I didn’t go anywhere else to compete I would still come here.”