Town criers from all over the country will descend on Wootton Bassett on Saturday when the town hosts the Ancient and Honourable Town Criers Guild Championships of 2009.
The visiting criers will be competing in two rounds, the first of which will be to perform a Criers' Home Town Cry, which must consist of 100 to 125 words.
The second round of the competition is a theme cry, ‘The Town of Wootton Bassett’, which should paint a picture of the town in words and encourage people to visit.
Wootton Bassett town crier Owen Collier is delighted the championships are coming to the town.
He said: “This is a much larger competition than previously staged in the town.
“Criers are travelling from all around the country and even from abroad.”
Mayor Steve Bucknell, who was presented with a special charter at the recent Mayor Making ceremony which grants the town the rights to host the Championships, will greet the competitors and visiting dignitaries before the competition kicks off at 11am.
The event is being held by the Town Hall in the High Street and winners will be announced at 5.15 pm.
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