Town criers from across world compete for crown

Sue Blower has been town crier of Montgomery for 22 years

Town criers from across the world are set to descend on Wales this weekend, competing to be crowned best of the bunch.

Montgomery, Powys, will play host to the Guild Championship of Town Criers, with 23 criers from across the UK, as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, taking part.

Sue Blower, the town’s crier for the past 22 years, promised a “real carnival type day” for the community.

Among the spectators will be First Minister Eluned Morgan, who was originally due to be a judge before taking Wales’ top job.

A town crier is a person who makes public announcements in a town, often by shouting in the streets, and the role dates back to medieval times

Following a welcome event on Friday, the competition to find the best town crier will begin on Saturday and run through until Sunday.

Ms Blower told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast the first minister was “very fascinated” about the role, despite no longer being able to judge.

“Fair play, she's still coming to mix socially in the afternoon,” she said.

Among those taking part is Judy Campbell from Australia, who has been a town crier for 30 years.

Ms Campbell told BBC Radio Wales Drive they all “give 110%” to the job but there were going to be “a few unknowns I’ve not met before in the town crying realm”.

She added: “There’s a few of these gentleman who will definitely be scared of me.”