Hailsham Town Council Welcomes New Town Crier

Terry Tozer has been appointed new Town Crier for Hailsham, following the retirement of Geoff Rowe after 12 years in the post.

Mr Tozer was selected by a recruitment panel which included the Town Mayor, Town Clerk and town councillors, and will assist the Town Council and its partners to promote important community events and special occasions.

The role of Town Crier was, since medieval times, one of the most important ways of spreading news and local bylaws, royal proclamations, market days, holidays and community events were all pronounced by a bellman or town crier.

Today, the role is a ceremonial one and Hailsham’s new town crier will assist by opening major town events, introducing guest dignitaries to the town and introducing an element of pageantry to special occasions.

“Oyez, oyez, oyez!,” said Terry Tozer. “I am really honoured and excited to have been chosen for the prestigious post of Town Crier or Bell Ringer of Hailsham.”

“Something about my self. I was born in Croydon but spent my formative years in Scotland. I left grammar school at the age eighteen and literally ran away from home to join the Army and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers as an electronics technician for twelve years. I served in Germany, Northern Ireland and the Falklands. My last three years were in Colchester as a sergeant major of a company of five platoons of 155 soldiers.”

“Due to family reasons, I had to buy myself out in 1988 and got a 24/7 call centre job with Thames Water, who split to become the National Rivers Authority and eventually the Environment Agency for twenty years, at which point I was made redundant and due to circumstances.”

“I was able to retire at the ripe old age of fifty. During this time from 1999, I had started to teach Shotokan Karate to a number of clubs in Reading, Bracknell and even Brighton. When my mother passed away, I handed over my clubs and moved to sunny Hailsham about two years ago, just before the coronavirus lockdown. It’s my ambition to open up a karate club here too.”

Mr Tozer added: “During the annual Hailsham switching on of the lights’, I went into Hailsham Parish Church for a free cup of cocoa and fell in love with it. Soon after, I started joining in with their various activities that go on there, including bell ringing.”

“2022 is going to be an exciting year, what with Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and festivities including street parties, celebrating her long seventy-year reign and service to God and the country.

“I pray that I will be able to serve you all well and uphold the long proud English tradition of Hailsham Town Crier.

God Save the Queen.”

Town Clerk John Harrison commented: “There are currently over 200 town criers in the UK representing towns and cities, communicating in the oldest method available, by word of mouth. I am pleased that Hailsham is one of these and is able to enhance the image of our market town by appointing a new town crier.”

“We were looking for someone with a jovial, friendly and courteous personality in addition to good knowledge and understanding of Hailsham as a historic market town. Terry was the ideal candidate for the role.”

Subject to availability, as well as promoting the town’s community events, market and festivities, the town crier can be hired by individuals, groups, schools or commercial ventures for events and official openings, as well as charity events.

If you are interested in hiring the Town Crier to promote your event, please send an email to enquiries@hailsham-tc.gov.uk.

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