Oyez! Oyez!

Now hear this!

The retirement of Richmond's Town Crier, Barry Heap, left a vacancy for a very big set of lungs. Barry's cries were always full of fun and very topical. He composed over 70, mostly in verse, and performed them over 3,000 times! His cries were traditionally made in the Market Place from the four cardinal points of the compass, North, East, West and South, letters which combine as NEWS – the very purpose of a town crier!

Well, the news that we hear is that the Town Council has auditioned possible successors to Barry, and that an appointment is in hand. (How did they audition, we wonder? And are their ears still ringing?)

If the rumours are true, then Huzza! We look forward to the return of this tradition to our ancient town. And when we say "a very big set of lungs", we mean it. Barry's thunderous proclamations could be clearly understood on Maison Dieu, some 600m away... 

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