Terry Ford

A Geordie by birth, Terry moved south to Derbyshire in 1979 and gradually worked his way back north to Otley in West Yorkshire. He worked in IT for most of his career across a variety of industries, including 11 years as a prison governor, before retiring 10 years ago.

An award winning classically trained vocalist, he regularly performs in shows and concerts, including two concerts in Cyprus last year. Appointed as Deputy Bellman in 2010, he took over the role the following year in 2011 and is now in his 15th year as Bellman of Otley. One of his roles as Bellman is that of Ale Taster to the town of Otley, and his current build somewhat reflects this. He was privileged to proclaim the Accession of King Charles III, which was filmed by the BBC and broadcast around the UK and the world on their World Service stations.

Over his Town Crying career he has gained success in around 45 competitions both nationally and internationally, winning the AHGTC Championship in 2024, the LCTC British Championships in 2022, 2023 and 2025, the 66th National Town Criers Championship in 2018 in Hastings, and both the South West Championships and the Armada Cup international competition in 2024 and 2025. He has also competed internationally in Holland and Bermuda, and has won the Best Ambassador award in a number of competitions over the years.

An outgoing and social person, Terry is really enjoying the role and the variety of opportunities it brings to literally be part of history.