Oyez — an address from the office of the Town Crier
To the people of Worthing and Adur, and to all who plan occasions upon this coast — the Town Crier is at your service.
Bob Smytherman has held the office of Town Crier for Worthing since 2014, following a successful year as Mayor of the Borough, and for Adur since 2022, bringing tradition, ceremony and a proper touch of theatre to events across West Sussex.
This page is his address to you: who he is, what the office means, the occasions he attends, and the two plain routes by which he may be requested.
Bob Smytherman
Official Town Crier for Worthing & Adur
Who holds the office
The man who holds the office
Bob Smytherman has held the office of Town Crier for Worthing since 2014, taking it up after a successful year as Mayor of the Borough. Adur appointed him to the role in 2022, for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. In the years since, he has become one of the area's best-known community figures — a familiar face, and a still more familiar voice, at civic occasions, charity events, business launches, festivals and community celebrations across Worthing and Adur.
You will know him by the livery. Bob cries in blue and gold for Worthing and in purple for Adur, so there is never any mistaking which town he stands for. In the summer months there is a light blue waistcoat besides — made for hot days on a sunny seafront.
He is, in the oldest sense of the phrase, an officer of good news.
Why the office endures
Why a town crier, still
For hundreds of years — before newspapers, before radio, before anything with a screen — the crier was how a town heard its news. The bell rang, the square gathered, and what mattered was said aloud, so that everyone heard it together.
The office endures because that moment still works. Today the cry celebrates British heritage while lending colour, character and a genuinely memorable experience to a modern event — a proclamation is remembered long after a press release is deleted.
When you engage the Worthing and Adur Town Crier, you are not hiring an act. You are borrowing a tradition.
Occasions attended
The occasions to which the crier is called
From council chambers to seafront fêtes, these are the days on which Bob is most often asked to cry. Find your own occasion in the roll below, then choose your route to enquire.
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Civic occasions
The formal moments of the civic calendar, opened and announced with due ceremony.
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Charity events
Fundraisers, appeals and community causes across Worthing and Adur — see the charity route below.
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Business launches and promotional events
A new venture announced properly, so the whole street knows you have arrived.
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Grand openings and anniversaries
Ribbons cut, doors opened and milestones marked in full voice.
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Award ceremonies and corporate functions
A distinctive ceremonial presence for presentations, dinners and company milestones.
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Festivals and community celebrations
Fêtes, carnivals and seaside celebrations, given a proper opening cry.
If your occasion is not named here, it may still be cried — ask through the enquiry form and you will receive a plain answer.
The first declaration — charities & community
For charities and community groups
Bob is passionate about supporting the local community. He works closely with organisations across Worthing and Adur, helping to promote local causes and bring people together — and, subject to availability, many charity and community events can be attended.
If you are raising funds, marking a milestone or gathering a neighbourhood, say so plainly. A cry has opened smaller days than yours.
Charity and community attendance is subject to availability.
Enquire about a charity or community appearance
The second declaration — business bookings
Business bookings, from £50
For a business, the crier is the difference between an opening and an occasion. A proclamation gathers the street, marks the moment and gives the day a shape people remember.
Business bookings are available from £50 — stated here plainly, so you can plan before you ever pick up the phone.
- Grand openings
- Anniversaries
- Award ceremonies
- Product launches
- Promotional events
- Corporate functions
Word carried further
The cry does not end when the bell stops
Bob holds a high profile across the local community and a strong following on his social channels. Many of the events he attends are shared there afterwards — photographs, announcements and thanks — helping organisers reach a wider audience and giving the day additional local exposure.
If that reach matters to your plans, raise it when you write.
The area served
Worthing and Adur, West Sussex
The office serves the neighbouring areas of Worthing and Adur on the West Sussex coast — Worthing, Sompting, Lancing, Shoreham-by-Sea and Southwick among them — and Bob brings the cry to events across West Sussex.
If your occasion lies nearby, it costs nothing to ask.
Worthing and Adur, West SussexWith thanks
With thanks to our sponsors
This website is produced in association with Rocket Marketing, sponsored by A Star Waste Management, and built and hosted free of charge by ThemeSmith.
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The final announcement
Requesting the Town Crier
Whichever route is yours, the same courteous form serves both. Say what the occasion is, and you will receive a personal reply.