BARNOLDSWICK'S Town Crier is bidding to be crowned the best in the world.

In a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Kevin Griffiths is off to the USA later this year to compete in the Town Crier World Championships.

He has been hotly tipped for the top ever since he started competing just a couple of years ago and has been urged on to compete for the world title by fellow criers across the UK.

The World Championships will be held in Anacortes, Washington State, USA, in early August as part of a week-long arts and crafts festival that attracts upwards of 70,000 visitors.

And by the time Kevin has finished, a great many of them will know the name Barnoldswick, as he broadcasts the delights of his home town on the world stage!

"The world championships are only held every two years and I'd been umming and aahing about whether to have a go," said Kevin.

"A lot of the other criers were pushing me on and saying I had a good chance of doing well so I thought 'beggar the expense and just do it'!"

Town criers from around the world will perform three cries over three days, including their "home cry" - shouting out the virtues and attractions of the places they represent. The other two cries will have to be specially written for the event.

Kevin was appointed town crier by Barnoldswick Town Council as one of its millennium projects, and has represented the town in contests across the UK, with considerable success.

He receives an allowance from the town council to cover his expenses, but his air fare will more than swallow that up.

If anyone wants to book him for commercial work, weddings, anniversaries, product launches, galas and so on before August, it would help to pay for his trip. He can be contacted on 01282 816832 or via his website, www.stentorian.freeuk.com.

The only drawback to attending the world championships is that Kevin will miss out on this year's Barnoldswick Gala, planned for Saturday, August 4. However, his dream is to return as world champion to host his own town crier contest in Barnoldswick on August 18, as part of a planned "Wars of the Roses" event.