The 2022 competition season is now under way and what a pleasure it is to be able don one’s finery and head along the peaceful country lanes (motorways!!) to the next Town Crier event. Meeting friends old and new who have also had to endure the rigours that Covid had thrust upon them. Catching-up on the gossip, who’s missing, what’s happened to so-and-so, all things we have missed for the last couple of years.

So it came to pass that the (in)famous Bromyard Town Criers Competition dusted down all the trappings in preparation for this year’s event. Invitations were sent out – either by email or snail mail, late on in 2021 – plenty of time to get things organised regarding the feeding and accommodation of our honoured contestants.

Over 70 invites were sent out to Criers giving them the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality that my town offers. AMAZING is the only word to describe the response to our cordial request for your attendance – sorry, amazing is not the right word, the right word should DISGUSTING! Yet again a host of invitees never bothered to have the courtesy to reply, not just to the original invite but also to the subsequent reminder! When I say a host of Criers never replied I mean only 24 did which means that 48 didn’t, those 48 hadn’t got the common courtesy to spend one minute to reply to our emails with a simple YES or NO.

My faith in my fellow Town Criers is rapidly waning, I sometimes lose the will to carry-on when my own kind cannot even bother to respond to a simple request. Don’t they know just how much time, effort and money is needed to host these events?

Town Criers will always be welcome to compete here in Bromyard but for goodness sake let us know you’re coming!!

Peder Nielsen. M.A.H.G.T.C.                                                                                                                    Bromyard & Winslow Town Crier rier.                                                             Guild Vice Chairman.

Thanks Peder, this is a good reminder of the hard work and effort that goes in and it’s too easy to take these things for granted when you don’t host a competition and it is easy to put things off, to become forgetful and for things to lapse. We all do these things from time to time and some of us more dis-organised and forgetful than others, so please accept my sincere apologies and on behalf of the other criers too. Wearing your shoes, well boots, I not only empathise with you, but I’ll give myself a kick up the backside too!

We will do better Peder!