VISITORS to Oswestry heard a booming voice bellow out proclamations as town tradition was revived.

Phil Brown stood on the Cross to welcome judges for the Heart of England in Bloom competition as the town's first town crier in nearly 30 years.

Mr Brown, 70, was granted the honorary role after taking to the Cross earlier this year and showing his oratory skills by reading out his own proclamation to passers by.

He also faced an interview with Oswestry Town Council officials, including mayor Cllr Sandy Best.

Mr Brown said that it was an honour to be selected foe the role and added: "I think a town like Oswestry has got something special about it anyway, and it was probably just missing something from centuries ago that would bring another dimension, another interest for people to come and shop in Oswestry."

Mr Brown, applied for the role after hearing and advertisement on the radio.

He said: "As I was completing the application form it asked what gives I had got that I could bring to this job, and because I've don amateur dramatics, pantomime, I've been a medical rep doing presentations for 40 years, I thought 'I might get this!'"

Decked out in the traditional costume of tri-corned hat, long jacket and buckled shoes, Mr Brown welcomed the Heart of England in Bloom judges with a proclamation that urged them to "be bold and give Oswestry the gold".

Mr Brown, originally of Longton near Preston, was due to lend his tones to the Oswestry Food and Drink Festival, and the Balloon Carnival in August is among several engagements for the year.

On how he found his first outing, Mr Brown said: "It's a role, you can see me talking to people - I don't talk like Phil Brown, I just try to be 'the town crier, sir'!"

The public reaction to his first outing as town crier seems to be smiles and surprise - and Mr Brown joked that he had "frightened a few children".

Of people's reactions, he added: "They probably think they're having a vision or that they've travelled back in time and gone through a worm hole!"