May 11 2015.


After 38 years as the Town Crier of Seaford, Peter White is finally bringing home some trophies! On Bank Holiday Monday Peter competed in the annual Southern England Town Criers' Championship of the first time and despite cancelling a contest the previous week due to illness, and competition from the Bells of Wimborne Minster welcoming the new Royal Baby, Peter managed to carry off two prizes.

In the competition as a whole, first prize went to Andy Fleming, the Town Crier of Swanage, who Peter had assisted the Swanage Mayor in appointing. However, Peter took the runner-up position.

In the Best-Dressed category, Seaford's Senior Shouter took first prize. He just missed that spot in last year's Chester World Championship when he hit second spot behind a native Canadian Indian in a resplendent Buckskin outfit.

Peter has achieved sporadic wins in the past; Champion of Essex in the 1990's, and 3rd in the National Championship in Hastings in 2010. There the Mayor of Hastings, presenting the trophies, realised that Peter had been her History Teacher at Tideway School in Newhaven.

So now Peter seems to be on a winning streak. He is still available to announce local events, as long as they are not political, religious or commercial. He particularly enjoys reading recipients their 100th Birthday Card from the Queen.

Peter also has a new venture blossoming this year; his talk on Town Criers and Bellmen. He has nine W.I's to talk to this year, plus three churches and the East Blatchington Lecture audience he spoke to last week.

"It's not exactly keeping me off the streets," joked Peter, "but it does focus my energies in another helpful community-based direction. And I just about have time to squeeze it in around Twinning activities and chairing the Cross-Seaford Transport Working Group. There's no time to get bored in Seaford."

The icing on the cake in Wimborne was one of the members of Seaford's German Conversation Group, the Plauschgruppe, turned up to cheer Peter on!


Pictured: The four Best-Dressed - The best dressed escort (Joan Dauncey from Melksham), the best-dressed couple; Kevin and Melanie Knapp from Sturminster Newton, and Peter, the Best-Dressed Crier in his traditional Seaford Town Serjeant's Top Hat and Coat