The new Town Crier is amazing!

If you were at Barrow’s Christmas market in December, you may have seen Barrow upon Soar’s new town crier.

If you’ve been in the village for any length of time you may, like I do, recognise Andy Northcote-Smith as a long-standing teacher and deputy head at Hall Orchard Primary School. However, he has also been a very active member of the community in groups such as the Good Neighbour Scheme, murder mysteries and many other activities. He has retired from teaching but, where I plan on becoming a reclusive hermit when I retire, Andy has thrown himself even more into village life by becoming the new town crier.

He was asked by the Parish Council if he would do it but so far, he has only made one appearance in the role (at the Christmas market). However, he is looking forward to suiting up again in the future. Obviously, meeting lots of people is par for the course with something like this (after all, no one rings a bell to divert attention AWAY from themselves) and having been a Barrow resident since 2004 and already teaching here before that, he knows a lot of people. His favourite part of the role is meeting as many people as he can, whether they are new residents, long-time residents or just visiting from elsewhere. 

It’s hearing people’s stories that gives him the biggest kick; finding out where people have come from, what they are up to and so on. Being Barrow upon Soar’s town crier, of course, comes with some big shoes to fill, what with David Dipple being such a great fit for such a long time, but Andy is relishing the chance to get stuck in and put his own stamp on the role.

Elliot Wilkes