Councillors in Sturminster Newton have agreed to begin a search for a town crier to succeed Kevin Knapp, who died, aged just 53, in October 2018 after almost 20 years in the honorary role he created.


At a meeting of the town council in June, members considered a request from the county councillor for the Blackmore Vale Pauline Batstone, who lives in Sturminster Newton, that the subject be considered.

She said: “I appreciate that Kevin was pretty much irreplaceable as our town crier, but I cannot believe that he would have wished the role of Stur town crier to die with him.

“He was a brilliant representative for our town, supported by his lovely wife and family. The pandemic may have made such things of minor importance, however, I have been watching the Dorchester town crier, the redoubtable Councillor Alistair Chisholm, showing on national television how town criers have continued to perform their role.

“Alistair has continued ‘crying’ at open air events in Dorchester, and the town criers have held their national competition by being judged on their written cry – i.e. their message – and then performing it virtually. I reminded me of our loss and the hole that it has left in our civic life.”

She asked that the town council begin the process of recruiting a successor as part of their emergence from covid restrictions: “We have grieved for long enough in Kevin’s memory. Let’s get going with finding ourselves a new town crier and get back on the town crier map. “Providing they obey social distancing, at present they can cry their hearts out in the middle of the Railway Gardens, and I feel sure Kevin would have wished to have a successor.”

Members agreed to request their town clerk Kate Squire to first write to Mrs Knapp to advise her of the proposal, to contact the Town Criers’ Association for advice, and to advertise the opportunity online to recruit possible candidates. She was also asked to liaise with Rotary to see if a competition could be included in their community event in August.

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