Chester care home and school have something to shout about after welcoming 11 international town criers

Town criers from across the globe have paid special visits to a Chester care home and school to give residents and pupils something to shout about - as part of the international tournament celebrations, which were hosted in the city and concluded at the end of last month.

Liam Cragg and James Stewart, Town Criers in Canada, Tim Yuskaitis, a Town Crier in the US, Kevin Ruane, Town Crier for Southport, and Les Cutts, Town Crier for Halifax, issued a proclamation in a rare visit to residents at Care UK’s Deewater Grange in Huntington as part of the World Town Crier Tournament celebrations in Chester.

As well as swapping stories, the town criers also shared some tips before allowing the delighted residents to try out town crying themselves during the special visit on September 25th. The visit proved the icing on the cake for one resident, Anne Owen, who was celebrating her 95th birthday.

The town criers’ appearance was a huge hit with residents.

They included Richard Gomersall who said:

"It was a unique and interesting afternoon. Contrary to my expectations, it was not too loud." Another, Pauline Corner, said: "It was wonderful and so different." And Keith Underword, added: "It felt wonderful to see them and hear their cries."

A separate visit to Boughton Heath Academy on the same day saw town criers Paul Gough, Town Crier for Nuneaton and Bedworth, Jan Veen, Town Crier in the Netherlands, Summer Gallant, Town Crier in Canada, Jody Huizar, Town Crier in Great Dunmow, Peter Vader, Town Crier in the Netherlands, and Judy Campbell, Town Crier in Australia, delight pupils and staff alike showing them what they do, their traditions and stories. They even put on workshops and the children had a go at town crying themselves.

Eleanor, a pupil, added:

“It was great fun listening to the Town Criers and hearing interesting stories about where they came from.”

Jody Huizar, the Great Dunmow Town Crier who is also an ex-teacher himself and attended the school visit, said:

“Although we’ve been doing this for 900 years, the message from Great Dunmow, is getting on with one another and the famous Flitch Trials. I asked the pupils about their favourite football teams, and even though they support different teams, I stressed we should all respect other people’s views and opinions. I thoroughly enjoyed the day.”

The five town criers were in Chester as part of the World Town Crier Tournament celebrations, which was a week-long event in the city centre that ran from September 21. 'Krazy' Kevin from Toowoomba in Australia was eventually crowned the overall winner of the contest. Thousands of tourists came to watch from all over the globe, building on the 50 million recorded visits to Cheshire and Warrington each year, and that has helped to boost the region’s £4.4billion visitor economy.

The residential care home and school were chosen as part of that week to bring the event to communities who may not have been able to see it.

Deewater Grange, located in Huntington, provides high-quality dementia, residential and nursing care, as well as short-term respite and specialised end-of-life care. It regularly hosts several events for residents and the community, including this special visit from the town criers.

Robert Crane, Home Manager at Deewater Grange, said:

“We always enjoy finding new and unique ways to bring people together at Deewater Grange, so we were delighted to host this event. Days like this are so important, helping residents stay connected with the wider community while creating memorable shared experiences.

“Creative activities such as writing and performing can offer many benefits for older people, encouraging social interaction, self-expression and a sense of achievement. The residents thoroughly enjoyed writing their cries in the lead-up to the event and had a fabulous time performing them for visitors.

“A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and who helped make the day such a memorable one. A big well done to the wonderful performers!"

Boughton Heath Academy is a primary academy school located in Chester. It teaches pupils from reception to key stage 2.

Mrs S Sumnall, Acting Principal at Boughton Heath Academy, based in Beckett’s Lane, said:

“It was a real pleasure to welcome the World Town Criers to our school and see the children so captivated by their stories, ‘cries’ and fascinating traditions from across the world, including as far afield as Australia. Our older children particularly loved getting involved in the workshops and having the chance to enthusiastically step into the shoes of a town crier themselves.

“It was a wonderful, fun and memorable experience that brought history and culture to life for our children.”

Jamie Christon, CEO of Chester Zoo, praised the visits as 'hugely successful and fun for all involved:

"We have loved welcoming thousands of visitors from across the globe for the World Town Crier Tournament," he said. "And have been delighted that we could bring our criers to Deewater Grange and Boughton Heath Academy to ensure everyone in the community has a chance to meet them and try out town crying. They were brilliant sports; thank you town criers and thank you residents and staff of Deewater Grange, and staff and pupils of Boughton Heath Academy."