| Date | 1 November 2013 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | PN-0014 |
| Volume | People in the News |
| Collection | Press Clippings |
Transcript
Chris Brown, the first Royal Borough town crier in 90 years, looks back at his eventful time
‘Amazing Year’ for town crier
At the end of 2012 the Royal Borough began to echo with the stirring sound of a town crier for the first time in 90 years. Chris Brown reflects on his first year in the role.
“ON November 5, last year, I was chosen as the first official town crier in the Royal Borough for almost a century. After 12 months, I am still grinning from ear to ear about it.
I have been lucky enough to meet hundreds of truly amazing people. There is a huge army of volunteers in the borough who work tirelessly on behalf of others.
Youth leaders, supporters for the elderly, organisers, museum volunteers, charity workers and people who turn up in all weathers to rattle tins raising money for good causes.
I am in awe of these wonderful people and slightly embarrassed that I am hogging so much of the limelight when all I really do is turn up and shout at people.
However, one thing a lot of people don’t appreciate is just how much town crying can hurt your face. When there is a seemingly endless queue of people wanting to have a photo taken with the town crier, you just have to keep smiling. After about 20 minutes grinning at cameras and mobile phones, your jaw really aches. I had to grow my goatee out into a full beard just to hide the extra wrinkles.
One memorable event early in the year was when I managed to lose half of the Old Windsor Carnival.
There we were, me walking at the front, the carnival princess in a horse-drawn carriage behind, and then a huge empty street where the rest of the carnival floats and marching bands should have been. I think I took a wrong turn or something. Not a brilliant start!
It set the tone for a summer of events where I learned the craft of town crying by making lots more mistakes. At some stage or other I have forgotten the names of two mayors, befuddled the deputy lord lieutenant of the county and even mispronounced ‘Berkshire’ in front of the governor of Windsor Castle [Air Marshall Ian McFadyen]. Despite my regular gaffes, everyone has been fantastically positive about finally having a town crier in the borough again. Almost every time I put on my livery I get a comment about how nice it is to see the ancient traditions being upheld.
Of course, that is not the only comment I get. Mostly I hear ‘look mum, a pirate’. I’m sort of hoping one of those green parakeets from Windsor Great Park will one day land on my shoulder to complete the look.
At the end of October, I drove down to Hastings to represent Windsor and Maidenhead at the National Town Crier competition. This time I put the skills I had learned during my busy summer to good use and managed to win the competition. I can’t deny that was a huge moment for me. To bring a national championship trophy home to the Royal Borough is pretty mind-blowing. Most of all, I have enjoyed taking a bigger role in our local community.
Everything from helping at events such as opening the Timberton project in Maidenhead, drumming up support for charity coffee mornings, telling people about library and museum events, attending school fetes, summer fairs, carnivals and parades, store openings, weddings and helping with council and police awareness campaigns.
It really is true that the more you put into a task, the more you get out of it. It has been an amazing year for me, and I want to thank everyone who has supported me, especially the mayors, councillors and officers of the borough, but above all my wife, Nicola, who has had to put up with my ludicrously over-inflated ego for the last 12 months. Oyez!“
Top Header & Banner
- Top Left Caption: ■ RING THE BELL: Chris performs his first cry in borrowed livery in December last year. Middle, Rob Oliphant and Dave Viney from the band Retro with rocker Chris at the Maidenhead library 40th anniversary celebrations. [December]
- Top Center Photo Overlay: [July]
- Top Right Caption: ■ TOURIST ATTRACTION: Chris with tourists outside Windsor Castle after announcing the birth of Prince George. [July]
Lower Photo Captions & Subheadings
- Left Image Corner Overlay: [April]
- Left Caption: ■ HELPING HAND: Chris spreads the word about World Book Night with 11-year-old Joe Baker from Eton Wick. Below, Chris makes an announcement as beforethe ribbon is cut at the unveiling of the Coronation Arch.
- Centre Image Corner Overlay: [September]
- Centre Caption: ■ HELPING HAND: Chris announces the winner of the Royal Borough’s Bright Idea competition alongside Sir Michael Parkinson. Right, he shows off his trophy after winning the National Town Crier Championship Challenge Cup. [September]
- Right Image Corner Overlay: [October]
Images
