Teenage town crier gets modern makeover

The coat has patches representing Redruth's past and future

A teenage town crier from Cornwall has unveiled a new outfit featuring artwork made by local residents.

Max Morrison, 18, became Redruth Town Crier last year, but the traditional garb did not fit with his vision for the role.

Since then, a team of artists have embroidered and stitched a new coat, featuring images representing the past and future of the town.

Mr Morrison wore the coat for the first time at the start of St Piran's Festival and said it was the combined effort of "all of the wonderful people" of Redruth.

'Something to believe in'

Becoming town crier had been a dream of Mr Morrison's since he was 13 years old, but on getting the role he discovered he was not a fan of the traditional outfit.

Local artist Sue Hill came up with the idea for the Story Coat, a new piece of clothing featuring the work of other Redruth artists.

Each person was tasked with creating a patch representing the town, which could be sewn on to the coat.

Mr Morrison said: "The idea is that if you're on the street and look up and see it, that would represent a little bit of what you hold dear about the place where you live.

"The role of the town crier is tied in with representing the community of the town."

He added: "Rather than wearing a bit of faux costume, if you wear something which is fully representative of what Redruth is now, then that gives people something to believe in a bit more."

Artists from Redruth designed patches for the coat

The patches used for the coat include traditional Cornish imagery and representations of future town projects.

Artist Mrs Hill said there was a "suitable gasp" from the audience at the St Piran's Festival when the coat was revealed.

She added: "I think in a way the coat represents the changes that are happening in Redruth, which are more positivity, more energy, more optimism for the future."