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OYEZ, oyez. Town crier
Peter Moore has gone under the hammer to
raise money for victims of the Asian
tsunami.
At the time of going to press, bids had
leapt from a starting point of £1 to
£530 for the Southwark town crier and
toastmaster as punters vied to secure his
services.
Whoever "wins" Peter will have his full
professional services at a function of
their choice.
He was ust one of the lots up for auction
as part of UK Radio Aid onMonday, a
day-long programme broadcast by every
commercial radio station |
in the UK which has
raised millions of pounds for the tsunami
appeal.
Despite being up against heavyweight draws
such as a date with glamour model Abi
Titmuss and the chance to own one of
Sting's signed guitars, Mr Moore, 64, was
happy to be doing his bit.
He said: "It's a terrible natural trajedy
and this is my way of helping. whatever
money I raise, it's money they would not
otherwise have got.
"This isn't about Peter Moore, it's about
helping the victims of the disaster.
What particularly drew me |
to doing this is that
the proceeds will be going to help
cheildren."
Mr Moore's Motto "have bell will travel",
holdsthe titles of town crier, toastmaster
and deputy mace bearer, as well as beadle
to the Court Leet and Guildable Manor of
the City of London and the borough of
Southwark - quite a mouthful even for his
considerable oratory skills.
One of his duties is to
travel abroad promoting British
tourism.
He has been on the David Letterman show in
the US |
and has met stars such
as Dolly Parton, Chuck Berry and James
Brown.
As a toastmaster he performs the role of
master of ceremonies at weddings and
functions, a task he could be hired for by
the auction's highest bidder.
The job of town crier
has been traced back to 1066 when William
the Conqueror's Norman invasion was
proclaimed in town squares.
It was up to the town
crier to give people the news with his
famous cry of "oyez, oyez" - meaning
"hark" or "listen". |
