Oyez! It's a hat-trick for Skegness town crier

Steve O’Dare delighted shoppers by making the proclamation outside the Hildreds Centre on Monday.

But, he says he was in especially good voice because he had won three trophies at a town crier competition in Huddlesfield last Saturday.

Mr O’Dare said: “It was a fantastic day. The competition is an annual event with town criers attending from all over the country.

“I won three awards - Best Ambassador. Best Content of Subject Cry and, best of all, Runner-up in the actual competition - my first top three award.

“Many of the town criers have been doing it for years - I’m just a baby at it really. In the past two years I’d say I’ve been in 16 competitions.

“Winning has been a long time coming and I’m feeling distinctly chuffed.”

A former Sergeant Major in the Royal Corps Signals, Mr O’Dare became Town Crier for Skegness in May last year after his success in a similar role for Burgh-le-Marsh, when he won Best Dressed Town Crier and the Ambassador Award for conviviality in a competition in Ely.

Since then he has accomanied two Skegness Mayors on official engagements, can often been seen around town welcoming visitors and has made several important national proclamations, including astounding onlookers by beating social media to announce the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s third baby in April.

“One man came up to me with a really expensive phone and said he’d got all this technology but heard about the baby first from a Town Crier,” said Mr O’Dare. “I really liked that.”

Anyone who hasn’t heard him can see him on BBC1’s Antiques Road Trip today (Thursday) at 4.30pm. Mr O’Dare said: “It will be interesting to see how they have edited the footage as we were filming around the town for the best part of five hours. I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

Then Mr O’Dare will be away again at the weekend for the 25th anniversary of the Loyal Community of Town Criers at Barnoldswick in Yorkshire.

Anyone wishing to book the Town Crier for an event should contact Skegness Town Council on 01754 766113 or email town clerk Steve Larner at [email protected]