The plan behind the story · Brenda Willison, Newmarket's town crier, took two Guinness records with one oyez
Find your carrying voice: an eight-week plan to speak, sing or cry out loud
Eight weeks built on what Brenda Willison says makes a crier: a voice that is clear, loud, well pronounced and able to last. If you are getting going, you finish by reading a short notice aloud to a group. If you already sing, speak or perform, you finish by delivering a rehearsed 60-second announcement at a real event and watching a crier's competition.
Why this works
Brenda Willison, Newmarket’s town crier since 1987, set two Guinness World Records in September 2026 with a single “oyez” at 105.9 decibels. Asked what matters in a crier, she did not talk about volume alone. A good voice, she told Guinness World Records, is clear and loud, pronounces words properly and can keep its volume going.
Those are four things anyone can practise, and none needs a hat and bell. This plan works on them in order: being heard clearly first, then lasting, then carrying, then using the voice for something real. It also builds in the habits the British Voice Association recommends, so the voice is looked after while it is being worked.
Before you start
- Pick your goal. A choir, a talk at your club, the announcements at a local event, or the crier’s role itself. Write it down.
- Know the care rules. The British Voice Association’s advice: warm up before long use, drink six to eight glasses of water a day, go easy on alcohol, coffee, tea and cola, do not shout over noise at social or sports events, do not talk or whisper when your voice is going, and do not clear your throat when you do not need to.
- Know when to stop. If your voice sounds different for more than two weeks, see your GP (family doctor). Hoarseness is a reason to rest, not to push through.
- Find a room. Somewhere you can stand and speak at full voice without worrying who hears: a hall, a garden, a car park on a quiet morning.
- Have a phone ready to record yourself. Hearing your own voice back is the quickest teacher there is.
The plan
| Week | Do this | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (getting going) | Stand up and read a short notice or a paragraph of a newspaper aloud, slowly, aiming at the far wall | 5 minutes, 5 days | Record the first and last day and listen back |
| 1 (already confident) | The same, but for a full page, then repeat it from memory | 10 minutes, 5 days | Note where your voice tires first |
| 2 | Add a warm-up: hum gently, then slide up and down your range, then say the notice | 10 minutes, 5 days | Keep water by you every session |
| 3 | Work on clarity: read with the final consonant of every word sounded | 10 minutes, 5 days | Ask a friend to stand at the far end and tell you what they missed |
| 4 (getting going) | Join a choir, a singing class or a reading group, or go to a talk and ask one question out loud | Once a week from now on | Look for one that does not hold auditions |
| 4 (already confident) | Write a 60-second announcement for a real local event | Draft, then rehearse 3 times | Short sentences, the key fact said twice |
| 5 | Practise lasting: speak at a strong, steady level for two minutes without pushing | 15 minutes, 4 days | If your throat aches, stop and rest a day |
| 6 | Practise carrying: deliver your piece outdoors or in a large room | 15 minutes, 3 days | Breathe low and let the sound go forward, not up |
| 7 | Find your audience: ask your club, church, U3A group or event organiser for two minutes | Make one request | The Guild’s advice for finding a crier is to ask the town council |
| 8 (getting going) | Read your notice aloud to a group | Once | Clear first, loud second |
| 8 (already confident) | Deliver your 60-second announcement at the event, and go and watch a crier’s competition | Once each | The Guild’s 2027 calendar lists about 14 between April and September |
If it goes wrong
- Your voice goes hoarse. Stop for a day or two and do not whisper; it strains the voice too. Drink water. If it is not back to normal within two weeks, see your doctor.
- You feel self-conscious. Practise somewhere nobody can hear you for the first fortnight. Willison’s own route in was a letter her daughter sent without telling her; sometimes a nudge from someone else is how it starts.
- Your piece is too long. Cut it in half. A crier’s announcement is a headline, not a speech.
- You run out of breath. Shorter sentences, and a pause to breathe before each one.
Track it
Keep one line a day: what you read or sang, for how long, and how your voice felt afterwards (fresh, tired, hoarse). Once a week, record the same paragraph and keep the files. By week 8 you will have eight recordings to compare, which is the clearest measure of progress there is.
What next
- Keep the weekly choir, class or group: it is the thing that keeps the voice used.
- Try our list’s Rock Choir or singing lessons if you have not yet.
- If the crier’s role appeals, look up the Ancient & Honourable Guild of Town Criers’ directory to see whether your town has one, and ask your town council whether it would like one if not.
- Volunteer your voice: compere a quiz, read for a talking newspaper, or make the announcements at a fête.
General information, not medical advice. Check with your GP before starting a new exercise programme.