A NEW town crier, thought to be the youngest in the country, enjoyed shouting out her first "Oyez, oyez" this weekend.

The job for 29-year-old Liz Woolnough, Barnoldswick's first female town crier, should be a piece of cake after being brought up in the world of amateur dramatics.

Liz, of Shuttleworth Street, Earby, took to Barnoldswick's town square for the first time on Saturday, ringing her bell and shouting her declarations.

She hopes that with a bit of fine tuning she will develop into one of England's finest town criers.

"I really enjoyed myself and I hope next time more people will come out to watch. I hope that I'll have a lot of good news to spread across the town."

As an actor and singer, Liz is no stranger to performing, as she has teamed up with her husband, Mark, 31, to write and produce music.

The talented duo have recently secured a publishing deal with Gulp Music and are have been sending out demos to other companies.

Liz added: "I have been singing all my life so I know how to use and project my voice properly, without straining my voice."

Liz is the brains behind this year's town crying competition, to be held in Barnoldswick on September 4, and is looking for sponsors.

"We need as much help as possible because people from all over the country come to compete here. We need sponsors to come forward and also people to help judge the competition," she added.

She hopes that after a couple of years in the job she'll be ready to face the big guns in the European Championships.

"This year's event is being held in Belgium. I am not quite ready for that yet, although Kevin Griffiths, my predecessor has taught me an awful lot."