Town crier championships give town something to shout about

The British Town Crier Championships will be the first event held in Pembroke Gardens, Bridlington, which has been the subject of a makeover as part of a 6.7m regeneration scheme.

Complaints have raged over the use of trees in the scheme which hoteliers felt would block sea views but the man heading the project, John Lister, said he believed people would welcome the development – which is nearly finished – as being of "exceptional quality."

Glass screens by artist Kirsty Brooks are going up this week, and the project will be finally completed in November when the 33 trees are planted and Yorkstone paving laid.

Mr Lister, head of Bridlington Renaissance, said: "The biggest difficulty with this has been to ask people to appreciate what is was going to look like when it was finished.

"Up until two or three weeks ago you couldn't see that it was even going to be a garden, but the grass is down and there are nice timber seats in.

"Particularly when the screens are in place this week, people will see what is a scheme of exceptional quality which you'd find difficult to see anywhere else on the coast."

Initial plans were for 80 trees but they were almost halved to 43 following complaints. A 550-name petition was presented to East Riding Council last October asking them to look again at the plans, and new proposals featuring 33 trees were unveiled in January.

Mr Lister said the layout meant that all the hotels on Pembroke Terrace would get a sea view, adding: "This is a slow-growing variety. They will be trimmed to a suitable height for their environment. This is not going to be a forest."

However hotelier David Renaut-Evans, one of a number of residents who will be meeting East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight on Monday to discuss their ongoing complaints, said: "We don't feel it is all fine and dandy.

"We are still unhappy about the trees and the amount of disruption that's been caused throughout the year.

"We are now halfway through August and they still haven't finished the project.

"There are businesses that have been severely suffered with the lack of walk up trade as people weren't prepared to walk through a building site.

"Yes it may well be better when it's all done, but it doesn't help you today.. Whatever we have lost can never be recouped."

Events will begin this Saturday when the criers and their escorts parade through the town at 10.30am in full authentic costume. They will then officially open the Spa Gardens entertainment programme at 11am.

The championship will then be decided as the criers go head-to-head in morning and afternoon heats.

The competitors, who are travelling from all over the British Isles, will be tested on volume and clarity, diction and inflection and their ability to engage the audience.

Hosting the championship is East Riding of Yorkshire town crier Michael Wood.

East Yorkshire Council's events manager Paul Roggeman, said: "We are excited to be hosting this event for the first time in East Yorkshire and really believe it will add a fantastic element of colour, drama and ceremony to the proceedings at the new Spa Gardens."

The cries will be on three themes – holidays, only in Britain and a picnic.

The loudest crier will be judged at 11.30am on Sunday, with the help of sound measurement equipment company Cirrus Research, who will be monitoring the competitors as they voice their "picnic" cries at Sewerby Park.