Town crier Rawden Kerr is celebrating success at his first ever town crier competition.

Great Harwood crier Rawden, who has been in the role for four years, entered into the ‘Garstang Cry’ competition along with 10 other town criers from across the north of England.

It was the 67-year-old's competition debut after joining the Loyal Company of Town Criers (LCTC) last October.

The computer technician came third overall in the contest and said hailed result is ‘absolutely amazing’.

He said: “I was only able to take part after I joined the LCTC and this competition was really the first one in the area I could enter into.

“Some of these people have been doing town crier competitions for 10 or 15 years so going into it they knew all the little quirks, what they need to do well and what has served them well in the past.

“I didn’t know what to do. I just went in and did it but who’s complaining?

“I didn’t even know I got third place until I got an email from the town crier of Garstang.

“I sent her an email to thank her for bullying me into doing it and how pleased I was to have done it. She said you should be because when they added all the points up I came third.

“In any competition third is a winner.”

Votes were cast after the town criers completed two rounds of challenges.

The first round was a ‘home cry’ where entrants had to cry about their home town.

The second round they were given the subject of the Magna Carta to cry about.

Rawden, who is originally from Great Harwood but now lives in Clayton-le-Moors, said he is already looking forward to his next contest.

He said: “They are not out to win, they are out to have a good compeition so it was really good.

“The next competition will be at the annual general meeting of the LCTC down in Bristol in October which sould be great.”

Lynn Wilson, Chair of the Great Harwood Civic Society, said: “We are becoming a very forward looking society that reach outwards to the community.

“This achievement can only bolster our standing. We are very pleased for Rawden.”