Barnoldswick's town crier really has something to shout about.

That's because Eliza Mowe, 34, has made history by becoming the first woman to win the European Town Crier Championships.

The competition, held in Almelo, Holland, saw 45 town criers from all over Europe compete over two days.

It is often thought town crying is a typically British tradition, but Eliza explained: "Town crying comes from when people couldn't read and the criers would shout out the news. People couldn't read all over the world, so there were town criers all over the world."

Competing in Holland were criers from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Eliza said she was overwhelmed to have won. "I couldn't believe it because there were other criers that I thought would walk away with it. I went for the experience and to meet up with friends, I wasn't expecting to win. It's just absolutely wonderful."

Eliza said the victory was all the more special because she was the first woman to walk away with the title.

"Winning was brilliant and to be the first female to win was just wonderful and something that will never be taken away from Barnoldswick. It's a brilliant accolade to bring home," she said.

The victory was widely reported in the Netherlands, with national newspaper, television and radio coverage.

The competition consisted of three cries over two days. The first was a home cry between 75 and 100 words long and was performed on a barge. For the second cry, contestants were given the theme of alternative energy. The final cry was on the theme of twin towns.

Eliza said: "Barnoldswick hasn't got a twin town, so I did a cry advertising for one. Crying is a brilliant way to spread the word about Barnoldswick."

The criers were awarded points for a number of factors including accuracy, volume and clarity.

Barnoldswick town councillor David Whipp said: "Eliza should be the toast of the town, she's done Barnoldswick proud."

Eliza, whose day job is teaching maths, was thrust into the world of town crying five years ago.

"I knew nothing about it before, but I've made lots of friends," she said.

When Eliza became Barnoldswick's town crier at the age of 29, she was the world's youngest female crier. She now lives in Calverley, near Leeds, but says she goes back to Barnoldswick in a flash if she is asked to do something.

Eliza, who began crying under her maiden name Liz Woolnough, even timed her wedding to coincide with last year's International Barnoldswick Bellman Competition, which she organised. This year's competition will be held next Saturday, August 23.