We had a great day in Windsor on Saturday with a procession of 250 Jaguar sports cars through the middle of town and another 800 Jags lined up down the Long Walk. The event was raising money for The Prince Phillip Trust which supports various local good causes. A huge thanks to all the owners…
Ten signs that you would make a great Town Crier
1. If your close friends all seem to have gone prematurely hard of hearing. 2. If your first thought when looking at shoes in shop windows is that the buckles are too small. 3. If “polish my bell” doesn’t sound like an innuendo to you. 4. If you can order a pint on a Saturday…
Lions in Maidenhead High Street
Yesterday’s Chinese New Year was celebrated in Maidenhead with a dance by five traditional Chinese Lions. The Dancers from the local Eagle Claw Kung Fu group herded their Lions up and down Maidenhead’s high street in a loud, colourful acrobatic display that brought out a large crowd of onlookers from the local community. There was a…
Maidenhead knows how to party – Lantern Parade 2016
I had a lovely Saturday evening in Maidenhead town centre on the 10th December at the Norden Farm Lantern Parade. Close to 500 people took to the streets to follow a Samba band through town. Everyone carried beautifully crafted handmade lanterns, illuminating the procession to create an ever changing glowing ribbon of light. It really…
Holyport Fair
I really enjoyed yesterday at Holyport fair. It was their 70th anniversary and the turnout felt like the biggest I’ve ever seen in the village. Activities included bowling for a pig (which was a feature of the very first Holyport fair), A coconut shy, a huge antique roundabout and a display of classic cars. The…
HM the Queen’s 90th Birthday
On Wednesday 20th April 2016 Her Majesty came to Alexandra Park the day before her 90th birthday and I was asked to introduce the event to the invited audience. The next day was the birthday itself with a royal walkabout, 21 gun salute and flaming beacons on the Long Walk.
The excitement is building
Spent two hours with Windsor St George Rotarians today raising awareness of their free blood pressure checks. George the friendly dragon was out with us too, and frightened far fewer passers by, than I did. Thankfully most people weren’t scared off by either of us and I got plenty of enquiries about the timetable for…
Why was the Town Crier important?
Or, what can town criers of the past still teach us about marketing today? In days past (that’s a beautifully non-specific phrase) almost every town had a paid crier whose job was to let the people know about important news. The definition of ‘important’ being things they wanted to know as well as things other people…
A Right Royal Event
“Chris, The Queen is on the phone!” I was astounded, then quickly a little disappointed to realise it was the Queen Charlotte Pub calling. However I quickly cheered up when I learned that John the Landlord wanted to know if I might be able to turn up for their launch night. I knew that John…
The Bandstand
Last week I suffered from a bout of tonsillitis. Not the greatest thing for the Town crier. However by the weekend the penicillin was starting to take effect and on Sunday afternoon I went to Windsor’s Alexandra Park to help out as master of ceremonies for the opening of the new bandstand. It was a…