Please introduce yourself in a few words

My name is Peder Nielsen and I was born a very long time ago in Prestbury, Cheshire, of Anglo/Danish parents. My homes have been in Gatley in Cheshire, Sheffield, Bicester, Oxfordshire, Stamford, Lincolnshire, Gretton, Northants, Holt, Norfolk and now Bromyard.

What brought you to Bromyard?

My partner Jan, now my wife, was an R.V.N. – Registered Veterinary nurse, and had accepted a position at a Bromyard veterinary practice, so we moved from Holt to Bromyard.

It’s that we have here in Bromyard, that old fashioned sense of community, wanting to help each other, care for those who have difficulty in caring for themselves and enjoying all the social and public events that this town offers.

How are you active in the community?

Never previously having taken any role in local community life, I was encouraged by Jan to “become part of the town”. So encouraged I became a Town Councillor, a member of the Royal British Legion, rising to the dizzying height of Chairman, becoming the official Crier for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity along with that role for the Royal Society of St. George and also being a member of the Bromyard Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

How did you decide to become the Town Crier for Bromyard?

At a civic function in 2006, Jan and I were seated with the then Town Crier of Bromyard who, while plying me with copious amounts of claret, announced that he would be leaving the town the following year whereupon, so I was later informed, I volunteered to take on the role. The rest they say is history.

Are there any standout moments for you over the years representing Bromyard as its Town Crier?

As in everyone’s life, there are occasions that will never be forgotten and, in many cases, too many to mention. As Town Crier, I am an ambassador of our town and as such there have been many joyous moments like meeting  Queen Elizabeth II , leading the St. Georges Day parade at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, becoming Champion Crier of Europe, leading the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Birmingham (twice), being honoured with a Bromyard Distinguished Citizens Award, accepting an invitation to attend THAT garden party at Buckingham Palace and being pilloried in a host of national and international newspapers for allegedly invading another Town Criers domain. It was a quiet news week so they milked a local bit of news and exaggerated a topic that had no factual foundation. It gave me 9 pages in my scrapbook!!

A friend is visiting Bromyard for the first time, how would you recommend they spend their day?

Much depends on your friend’s likes and dislikes. A casual walk around the town will, I’m sure, generate any friend’s interest in the history of the town. A visit to places of interest in the immediate surrounding area and the amazing countryside roads and views that Herefordshire has to offer is also an attraction.

What makes Bromyard Bromyard?

This is very hard to quantify. Jan and I have tried, on two occasions, to re-locate and on two occasions we have chickened out. There’s just something about Bromyard that gets its claws into you and holds one here.

What’s your favourite Bromyard-related memory?

It’s not really a favourite-related memory that stands out, though I suppose it may have started off as a singular event which then expanded into something which, in my opinion, epitomises our town. It’s that we have here in Bromyard, that old fashioned sense of community, wanting to help each other, care for those who have difficulty in caring for themselves and enjoying all the social and public events that this town offers. Bromyard is not a town that is slumbering it’s a town just re-grouping for the next phase of its growth.

What do you hope to see from Bromyard in the next few years?

Things can change very quickly, but to keep the “ye olde market town” feel is, I think, essential. Keeping independently run shops plays an important role.

What role has Bromyard played in making the person you are today?

For the majority of my years, I have been a rather shy and retiring person but thanks to both my wife Jan and the town I have found a new confidence in myself, for which I’m very grateful.

What’s your favourite place in the world you’ve visited?

Being half Danish and having spent much of my formative years in Denmark, I would certainly put that top of my list. I have also worked and spent numerous holidays in Eire, another place I fell for along with the Western Highlands of Scotland. Wherever one goes, it’s always nice to come home and for me that’s Bromyard.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know?

Now you’re asking. Does a party eight people bopping the night away qualify? If I add that four of those
were fab!  Yes, I have actually partied with the Beatles way back in 1962.