TORRENTIAL rain failed to dampen the spirits of 20 professional loudmouths.

Durham City held the finals of the National Town Crier Championships on Saturday.

Unperturbed by the downpour, hopefuls from across the UK entertained crowds of shoppers as they bellowed and rang bells around the city centre.

Their host was Durham town crier and former city mayor, Colin Beswick.

Among the contestants was Chester-le-Street's crier, Marjorie Dodds, a retired teacher, who was appointed to the post in November 2002.

In the afternoon, they each gave a performance piece in the Market Place, centred on a traditional food or craft from their home town.

"I did mine on hookey mats," said Mrs Dodds. "The girls knew what I was on about."

The judging panel of oratory experts awarded marks for diction and clarity. In their final analysis, only half a point separated first place from fourth.

The first floor of the Town Hall was given over to the competitors as they awaited the results. It was a riot of noise and colour, with 20 men and women decked out in cheerfully garish outfits, festooned with feathers and yards of lace.

Three female contestants aside, the average town crier appeared to be a hearty, smiling man, stout of figure and fond of a drop of ale.

"Being a town crier is thirsty work, after all," said one.

The overall winner was Terry Stubbings, town crier for Lincoln, who impressed the judges with a soliloquy to the Lincolnshire sausage.

He looked stunned when his name was read out by Hugh Evans, DJ with Durham Local Radio.

"I was absolutely lost for words," said Mr Stubbings. "I am delighted to be this year's reigning British champion."

The event was sponsored by the Prince Bishops Shopping Centre and Newsquest North-East, publisher of The Northern Echo. It was organised by Durham City Forum as the highlight of the city festival, which finished on Sunday. Forum chairman Richard Toynbee said: "The criers were fantastic. They really stuck with us through the weather.

"Hopefully we can get them back in the near future."

The town criers were not the only ones trying to make themselves heard as the sounds of battle filled the cobbled streets of the city over the weekend.

Anglo-Saxon re-enactment group Regia Anglorum put on displays of swordsmanship in the city as part of the festival.

Along with the invaders duelling on the Palace Green outside Durham Cathedral, there were also birds of prey from Ridgeway Falconry.

Throughout the city centre there was a wide variety of music and street entertainment, including traditional Russian and French songs, plus stalls selling food, crafts and gifts.

The Eurocrafts exhibition took place in the Town Hall, and students from the Gala Stage School sang songs from Oklahoma. For the more adventurous, there was a Rock It climbing wall in the Prince Bishops Shopping Centre.

Milburngate Shopping Centre hosted displays by guide dog puppies.