FolkWorkshop's Newsletter: June 2011

Dear Supporters,

Many thanks to all those who made it to the recent FolkWorkshops Session. Jim Neale greatly enjoyed the evening and he tells us that there will be others wanting to visit in the future from the general direction of the Black Swan in Much Dewchurch. Everyone enjoyed his songs, music and stories. Many thanks Jim, and please come again. The softer lighting and refreshments seem to have been appreciated and as usual thanks go to all those who helped set the room up, provided snacks, and most importantly, did the washing up. The surprise appearance of a spider dangling above the singers heads during the performance of the Wreck of the Old ’97 also added to the general mirth caused by the ensemble of guitars, banjo, bass guitar, harmonica and the percussion provided by Sue. Thanks also to all of you who gave so generously towards the cost of the evening and to Jim’s Cambodia fund.

There seems to be a lot of live folk music just at the moment. The Pete Coe Concert in Leominster was an inspiring evening and the trip to the Festival Hall Singing Festival to hear the Village Quire, the Martin Carthy 70th Birthday Interview and many other choirs, was well worth the effort. Please see the attached photo of a new recruit to the Village Quire who joined them in the Roof Garden of the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Needless to say the Village Quire were on top form in front of large and appreciative audiences.

The Norma Waterson benefit organised by The Village Quire raised £1400. It was a great evening and a local discovery was Anne Lister, a singer and song writer from Pontypool. Dave Swarbrick performed a wide range of pieces including works recently discovered among forgotten manuscripts at the British Museum. This seems to be a growing trend as while we were at Cecil Sharp House earlier in the year the librarian told us that they have been working on a new collection from among their own archive.

With news that the Shrewsbury Folk Festival ( August26th/29th) is now sold out, if you are thinking of going to a local festival this year make sure you don’t miss the boat. The Bromyard Festival is being held on 9th/11th September.

News and Events Update


Foxwhelp Morris: Alison has just told me that the Foxwhelp Morris appearance at the Angel at Grosmont for this coming Tuesday the 31st May has had to be cancelled. This comes as a timely reminder that they will be dancing at the Crown, Longtown on Tuesday 19th July. Other bookings near us are The Harp, Glasbury on Tuesday 7th June 2011 The Pandy Inn, Dorstone on Tuesday 5th July 2011 and at The Yew Tree, Preston-on-Wye on Tuesday 26th July 2011.

Garway Folk Festival: Day tickets are now on sale. We are off there with our caravan on Friday morning whether its emptied of junk or not. Might see you there. http://www.learningobjectivity.com/garwayfolkweekend/tickets.html
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Mid-Summer Singing Workshop Brecon Beacons Saturday 18th June: An all day event. Please see the earlier e-mail of 17th May but note you could still get to the Ceilidh advertised below.

Ceilidh for Cambodia|: The Courtyard Hereford: Saturday 18th June: This is Jim Neale’s event so why not try some mutual support!Tickets are now available from the Courtyard ticket office. A good evening for £7.50 with concessions.


Help the Heroes Fundraiser: Peterchurch Fire Station 25th June: We have been given a 15 minute slot and rehearsals start at the Griggs, Wednesday 1st June

10 Years of Fund Raising at the Griggs: A Celebration: John Biggs writes ‘At 6 p.m. on Tuesday 12th July, we shall shut the gate on the last National Garden Scheme visitor after 10 years of garden visits for charity. Over the last 9 yrs we have sent off in excess of £7,500 to nominated charities. If FolkWorkshop’s supporters consider this worthy of celebration, then we would suggest the following evening, Wednesday July 13th, for a sing in the garden and hopefully a B.B.Q.’ Many thanks John and Bridget. This is a great idea and many thanks to John and Bridget for the invitation. I am sure there will be quite a few who would like to accept this invitation.

Longtown Show: Saturday 20th August: general publicity presence with some musical instruments, English Folk Dance and Song Society literature and shelter from the heat or rain in the caravan and possibly a CD or two being given a spin.

Longtown W.I. FolkWorkshop event:Tuesday 18th October: This has now been confirmed and should prove to be an enjoyable evening of song. We hope to do as many chorus songs as possible as well as say a bit about folk music generally. Please think of suggestions for songs and we can run some chorus words off.

Village Quire Workshop and Concert Sept and October 1st: as last year there will be a singing workshop on the Wednesday 28th at St.John’s Newton and the concert on the Saturday 1st October in St. Margaret’s Church. On the Sunday it will be St. Margaret’s Church Harvest Festival at 11. am followed by a Harvest Lunch. It will be a busy weekend so volunteers in all departments will be welcome. More detail in early September.

Spreading the Song: Can we repeat the plea that you forward this e-mail to those who you think will be interested in joining in with FolkWorkshops activities. Because we are neither a Folk Club, nor a choir or even a music teaching organisation an explanation of this ‘umbrella’ organisation is often needed. Hence the Longtown Show stall and our delight in being invited by the Longtown W.I. for an evening of song. FolkWorkshops can be whatever supporters want to be. If there are enough to form workshops for individual instruments where skills and ideas can be swapped then that can happen. If funds permit we can ask experienced players or singers to give classes. We are also acutely aware that there are many younger people who would like to sing but somehow are not sure what to do about it. If you can tactfully encourage them and explain the possibilities then they might turn out to play or sing folk music. A quote which we recently heard at the Martin Carthy Interview is well worth keeping in mind, ‘The only harm you can do to a folk song is not to sing it’.

Best wishes from all at FolkWorkshops and our singers, Black Hill Folk

FolkWorkshops Newsletter; 5th May 2011

Dear Supporter,

What an Easter we have had. It is comparatively restful now but you will be pleased to hear we had some very favourable comments re our singing at the Mountain Mayhem Fete. One such person was very well qualified to express an opinion. Say no more.

Just a brief update. Our next session will be at Newton Church Room this coming Wednesday 11th at 7.30. Jim Neale for the Black Swan is hoping to come along. He plays the guitar and violin and has a wide range of songs as is happy to play along with whatever is going on. There seems to be rather a lot going on with events coming thick and fast. This week alone there have been four events. We have succumbed to two. The Courtyard tonight with Belshazzar's Feast, thus missing the Black Swan, and Pete Coe at the Lion Ballroom Leominster on Friday, thus missing the Martin Harley band at the Courtyard.

Village Quire News: our friends will be singing at various points around the Festival Hall next Saturday 14th May. The highlight should be The Main Foyer after Martin Carthy has been interviewed for TV as part of his 70th Birthday celebrations and while the audience is coming in. It is all part of the celebrations marking the Festival of Britain 1951.

Foxwhelp Morris: Now the light evenings are with us you may be looking for an outing. Why not combine support of a local hostelry with watching a bit of Morris Dancing. Here is Foxwhelps itinerary for places nearby. Full details can be found at: http://foxwhelpmorris.wordpress.com

Tue 10th May 2011 Black Swan, Much Dewchurch, Tue 31st May 2011 The Angel, Grosmont, Tue 7th June 2011 The Harp, Glasbury, Tue 19th July 2011 The Crown, Longtown Tue 26th July 2011 The Yew Tree, Preston-on-Wye.

Garway Folk Weekend: 3rd to 5th June: After some boring thoughts about travelling back and forth we have decided to take our caravan for the full weekend. Hope to see some of you there. For full details visit: http://www.learningobjectivity.com/garwayfolkweekend/

More news will have arrived by our session next week so look forward to seeing you then.

Keep on singing!


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FolkWorkhops April Newletter

Dear All,

STOP PRESS: FolkWorkshop this coming Wednesday April 13^th at Newton Church Room at 7.30

Please spread the word!!!

A week is a long time in politics and so it would seem it is the same in the world of FolkWorkshops and the Black Hill Folk. Having had a great time at our Ceilidh it has taken a bit of time to recover but I am pleased to say we are not only re-covered personally but that we recovered our costs and made a modest profit for our events fund.

Many thanks to all those who helped with the various tasks to set the whole thing up, but a big thank you has to go to all of you who turned up to dance. Without you it would not have been the great family occasion which has convinced our group that we will try and organise another one during the early winter. We had visitors from the Village Quire members and supporters’ from hay and beyond and several people responded to our Villager News entry in the Hereford Times and made the journey from Hereford City.

Many thanks to the Silver Branch Ceilidh Band who kept us on our toes and to our Black Hill Folk singers, joined by Village Quire members, who started the second half.

So why is a week a long time? Well, with a bit of ale going off in the barrel the ceilidh organising crew had to have an emergency meeting to decide what to do about the potential waste of beer and to sort out who was owed what. This was soon resolved and as result we had a planning session and few songs. The result was the following.

Firstly, we must return to our original home at Newton Church Room. The first will be on THIS COMING WEDNESDAY 13^th April at 7.30. We will also be having another one in mid-May once all the bank holidays have passed. At the moment Wednesday the 11^th or 18^th May is being suggested so if you have any thoughts please let me know by Wednesday 13^th as that is the Newsletter deadline for advertising the session.

Please notel the Norma Waterson Benefit Gig which will betaking place on Saturaday 21^st May ( see Gigs List attached). We are hoping that a few of us will go and car share could be possible.

Secondly, we have been asked to do a bit of singing at the Mountain Mayhem Fete in aid of Llanveynoe Church on Easter Bank Holiday Monday. We will have our own table and have been asked to do some songs from about 12.45 to give the place a bit of life. The more that can come along for an hour or so the better. We will have plenty of printed word sheets for those who want to join in and we will be singing many of the songs at the coming workshop on Wednesday. It will be more of a ‘sing song’ rather than a formal performance so it should be a relaxed affair. There should be a good few choruses.

Having inspected the venue it is a big one, believe me, so we will be able to blast away in the manner of the Crown at Christmas or like our experimental evening at the Bridge Inn. We have about six very strong pieces most of us know already and with one or two other impromptu sing around songs it should be a pleasant afternoon. We are not obliged to stay all afternoon but as there is a bar and hot food this might be immaterial. More details will be given on Wednesday when we will be singing several of the songs we have in mind.

See the posters and flyers for full details of the fete.

Thirdly, we have been asked to do a set at the Help the Heroes fund raiser in Peterchurch on 26^th of June. This is a very flexible event and details will become clearer nearer the time

Fourthly, we will be running a stall at the Longtown Show on Saturday 20^th August. This will include a display of musical instruments, a bit of singing and playing as well as lots of leaflets and publicity to do with folk music in our area as well as trying to find more musicians and singers who would like to join us. We have permission to take a caravan plus awning so if the weather turns nasty we should be quite comfortable. If you would like to take a spell at the stall have any ideas as to what can go on the stall please let us know and.

Fifthly, we will of course be involved in organising a return visit to Newton and St.Margarets Churches by the Village Quire with their new programme, High Days and Holidays in the Welsh Marches on 28^th September and 1^st October for a Workshop and Concert. All proceeds will be shared between the two church funds. We managed to attend the premier performance of this collection of songs and reading last week and it is something well worth looking forward to. Please see a review of the performance at http://tinyurl.com/6khate2

Finally, our experimental visit to the Bridge Inn a while back now brought new contacts and inquiries from audience members as to when we would be making a return visit. We would be very keen to do so at sometime. In the meantime look out for other appearances of Black Hill Folk at local hostelries as part of our campaign to support local facilities: ‘Keep it lively, & Keep it Local!’

While I have been writing this the grass has been growing, more bits have fallen off the cottage, and Jane has been reading Broad Sheep and finding more events to go to. At this rate it looks as though a trip to the Garway Folk Weekend in June might be difficult to fit in. But then, the grass will still be there when we get back!

Looking forward to the summer ahead,

John and Jane Baxter

PS: We are thinking of organising dedicated workshops for specific instruments. We already hold informal 'strums ins' and 'pluck ins' for banjo and guitar but we will also be doing a 'drum in' for those who want to have a go or just let off steam. We have already done twitter and folk on the internet sessions. All of these can be arranged on demand when there is enough interest.

PPS: It has just been confirmed that we will be running a Workshop at Longtown Village Hall at the invitation of Longtown WI on Tuesday 18th October. More deatils should we live that long.

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Review: The Village Quire: High days and Holidays along the Welsh Border Marches Maesyronnen Chapel, Saturday 2nd April 2011

It was after telling a colleague where our permanent family base was, and singing the area’s praises he responded with the words, ‘ Ah!, a sense of place. You must be very fond of it’. I had not come across the phrase before.

This conversation came back to me last night during the first performance of this new programme from the Village Quire. I was already feeling that ‘sense of place’ when we parked the car in the field by Maesyronnen Chapel and looked across the Wye Valley to the northern escarpment of the eastern ranges of the Black Mountains. I knew I was in for a musical treat but I did not appreciate how much that landscape and its history was to be woven into the performance I was about to witness.

I think it is not only fair, but accurate to say, having heard the Village Quire perform on several occasions now, that these singers and their narrator are unique. With a mixture of West Gallery Music, Shape Music, Catches ( rounds which can be a bit cheeky) and the broader traditions of the folk repertoire, the audience never fails to be bowled over by the glorious polyphonic blast that greets them at the start and which underpins the performance throughout. I suspect that much credit has to go to Dave Newell, their conductor and fellow singer, for the harmonic arrangements which are so beautifully brought to life by this well balanced and disciplined group of voices.

‘I Like to Rise When the Sun She Rises’ led the way into a not so distant world of rural worthiness, naughtiness and rebellion which through its echo enriches us today and which makes living on the border so interesting. In looking back from the comfort of modern living we must remember that these would have been hard times, yet among all the troubles, humour, faith and community seems to have produced the communities which so fascinate today.

In all there are 16 pieces in the programme with an interval just over mid-way. It is hard to choose a favourite at this stage, but suffice it to say that the material ranges from the secular to the sacred, from the Welsh to the English, and from the light to the dark as though reflecting the tensions that have for centuries ebbed and flowed across our much loved Welsh Marches. Like having heard an album for the first time the favourites only emerge when you have had time to mull over the tracks. This is why I shall be going to another performance of this programme later in the season.

Similar tensions can be found in the readings which interleave with the songs. I am ashamed to confess that although my particular sense of place has been with me in excess of 50 years I have never got round to reading any of Raymond Williams works. This author’s description of our part of the Marches, taken from his book The People of the Black Mountains, is used to set the scene and the image presented is one that will remain with me permanently. I shall not spoil its effect by repeating it here and would advise, if, like me, you are a Williams novice, that you postpone reading the book until you have seen and heard this performance.

Also among the readings are extracts from Mary Webb, Alexander Cordell, Dylan Thomas, and Pat Malloy together with extracts from the stunningly named Brecon and Merthyr Silurian. For those who know little of the toll road troubles Dylan Thomas’s account in ‘Rebecca’s Daughters’ is entertaining history at its best.

This is a demanding programme but is no less well performed because of that and certainly no less enjoyable. I could go on at length about how important it is that people get together and sing and where this fits into what appears to be a retreat from funded culture, but you would find this tedious. Instead I will say that anyone who has an interest in music, local history and literature will feel very disappointed when they hear from friends what they have missed. To avoid this feeling, make sure you go.

Dacier

The Village Quire will be performing at:

St Michael and All Angels Church, Lyonshall, Herefordshire
HR5 3LN
On 30/04/2011
Further details and tickets from Bo Hollingshurst on 01544 340788
at 7.30 pm.In aid of the church bell fund.
£7.50 in advance / £8 on the door
(to include glass of wine / juice)

St James' Church, Audlem, Cheshire
CW3 0AJ
28/05/2011
2.00 - 4.00 pm
Entry free to festival goers.
Tel. (01270) 812125
info@audlemfestival.com



At the Abergavenny Food Festival
Abergavenny Baptist Church, Frogmore Street, Abergavenny
NP7 5AH
17/09/2011
7.30 pm
Details to be announced


Singing Workshop for FolkWorkshops
Newton Church
Newton St Margaret's
Hereford
HR2 0QR
28/09/2011
7.30 pm
And at nearby St.Margerets Church Saturday 1st October at 7.30
Tcket details to be announced. All proceeds in aid of both church funds.

Review: Moishe’s Bagel at the Court Yard, Hereford, 2nd March 2011

The first time Sian and I were going to see this group was at the Big Sheep but the schedule slipped and our energies ran out, thanks to over doing it to the rhythms of the Destroyers and we went home. (See Review for 22nd July 2009) This time winter ill’s nearly kept us in the warm but as it turned out we had the best winter warmer and tonic combined with these five musicians ( yes and they really are) and their wide range of evocative tunes drawn from a broad sweep of European musical traditions. These include Ashkenazi, Balkan, Klesmer, Sephardic, Spanish and Arabic influences with a bit of the Americas thrown in for good measure. Classical, Folk Latin, Asian and Celtic influences can all be detected. All this combines to create a life affirming mixture of feelings in the listener. Politics so often seeks to divide while this sort of music naturally unites.

At the centre down stage sits the percussionist, Guy Nicholson, surrounded by a range of drums. The Darabuka is one drum among many, including the ever versatile Cajon alongside cymbals and bells. Behind is the double bass played by Mario Caribe using the full techniques possible which add both depth and texture. Mario also contributes on the ukulele and cavaquinho. A triangle and the occasional tapping on the shoulder of the ‘bull fiddle’ added a further to the percussive range. Although originally a klesmer influenced band is present, the clarinet is not. Instead this lead role is met by Greg Lawson on violin with a staggeringly varied mixture of sounds. At either side of the stage the piano accordion presence is made known.

On the left hand side of the stage however an accordian serves to add additional colour as its player Phil Alexander is mainly occupied bringing out the wonderful breadth of a grand piano well played. He also manages to make a contribution on a professional melodica, or ‘wind piano’ as you will see it described in some catalogues. On the opposite wing is Pete Garnett on lead accordion whose sustained presence underpins so many pieces as well as representing melody throughout. Although there are only five of them there is so much going on that the visual impact becomes as entertaining as the ever changing music. When we told someone we were thinking of buying tickets we were told in no uncertain terms to go as the live performance was such an important added attraction to this talented group.

And the music itself? Rarely have we attended a concert with so few musicians but with so much evocation of so many images whether they were of dark rainy street from pre-war Eastern Europe or New York, or the dry airs of North Africa or the damp flatness of Lincolnshire. At times the appearance of a haunting melody would nudge us into a Stephen Poliakov film. It is very hard to choose a favourite from such a repertoire, a task made no easier by the purchase of all three of their CDs during the interval. At the moment we are listening to Si Verias, a Sephardi melody, which was just one of the many new musical journeys that were on offer during the evening.

Phil Alexander can claim credit for many of the compositions but it can be seen from the sleeve notes that he is not the lone composer or arranger within the group. All in all this was both a surprising and uplifting musical experience which not only makes one want to play and listen to music but to dive back into history books to explore so many lines of enquiry into the musical heritage of several continents. If ever get the chance to see Moishe’s Bagel, follow the advice we were given ‘Go!’

Dacier

Stop Press: latest Newsletter

STOP PRESS: AGAIN!

Dear Supporters,

If you have recovered from the last Newsletter, here is a bit more news. FolkWorkshops is intended as a community based group, which, as our twitter account clearly states, is a place where ‘We get together to sing folk songs & play instruments in a tolerant & relaxed atmosphere of mutual encouragement and support’. We are based in the hills above the Golden Valley in Herefordshire in the Welsh Marches.

With so much going on it is not surprising that we have several dilemmas as to what support can be given to the many events going on. Susie’s Song School has regular support, and the sing around at the Black Swan is also a big draw, especially as they ask us to have a go. So that’s Wednesdays and Thursdays covered, and some of us also have church choir on Thursdays.Thursday evening also clashes with the Night Jar Folk Club at the Courtyard. (Even nationally, Thursday night is Folk Night!) We also want to continue to support Newton Church Room. By way of contrast we have already had offers to sing in 2 local pubs should we want to. We want to keep it as local as possible.

So, you can imagine our delight and increased ‘dilemmaring’ when Alan McCardle reported that the new landlord of the Bridge Inn, at Michaelchurch, had offered the dining room as a location for a practice sing along! We therefore had a dilemma to solve at pretty short notice as for various reasons the first opportunity would be Wednesday 23^rd Feb. Rather than lose the momentum Alan, John Biggs, and Jane and I thought we ought to go ahead. As the session at the Griggs is already set up this coming Monday 21^st we thought we would do that as well just to add a bit more choice for those who might not have enough dilemmas to solve.

The reason for this hasty decision lies in the fact that many people in the community would like to help the Bridge thrive as a successful local pub, which, like so many country pubs in these difficult times, needs local support. Nationally we have been losing village pubs at an alarming weekly rate ( 9 at one point) so this would be our small opportunity to do something. If you can get to the Bridge Inn on Wednesday you will be supporting the new landlord who is also the proprietor of the Golden Valley Brewery based in Peterchurch. What day of the week and how often future sessions might be held remains to be agreed. In the meantime we think we have a win, win , win situation so tell your friends and support your local pub and its new landlord. This is in no way intended as a performance so please invite anyone who might like to join in or just listen while having a real ale or a lemonade! Please forward this e-mail to others or pass the word on to those you know who are not on e-mail. Your local pub needs you!

Hoping you can get to both sessions.

PS Don’t forget the Gig for Norma concert in May: http://www.villagequire.org.uk/

Why not follow us on twitter. We now have 24 followers, most of whom are not on our mailing list, so keep up to date with events in between these Newsletters. ( of which there are too many)

@FolkWorkshops

FolkWorkshops Newsletter February 2011

LATEST: FOLK WORKSHOP on MONDAY 21st February at 7.30.

It’s time we started getting our repertoire together, whether for the various singing occasions which seem to be coming our way, or just for the fun of it. With the Hall being booked for our preferred night on the 26th and various other happenings John and Bridget have invited us to their home. New listeners, musicians and singers just as welcome here as at our usual venue. Please pass the word as this has not been put in the parish Newsletter. It really is true what we claim about our ethos, 'mutual support and encouragement' and a lot of good company.

Any queries please e-mail or telephone as usual leave a comment here. Or for twitter followers by DM on either @FolkWorkshops or @DacierOutten.

As you will have seen from the ‘stop press’ e-mails, quite a lot has been happening. We have had several additions to the e-mailing list, the articles on the blog, and a website is under discussion. You can follow on twitter @FolkWorkshops.

Please forward this Newsletter to people who you think would be interested. By clicking on the folkworkships link below it will take you to Newsletters and various folkworkshops blogs.

You will see that there are several family events taking place in summer camps this summer so who knows there might be a family out there who would like a change from the usual trip to Tenby!

The Wassail at Preston on Wye was a very enjoyable evening with enough of us turning out to give another public performance and make new friends. The article on this blog has had a record number of readers.

Some of us made our first visit to the Black Swan in Much Dew Church the other week to see what the sing around there is like. It has been going for 14 years with a group of singers and musicians who go under the name of Compost Heap. A great variety of songs and instrumental accompaniments made it a brilliant evening and none of us knew that it had been there all these years. On top of all this a very useful contact was made with someone who is organising some of the events in the list below.

Susie’s Song School. Susie is the female tenor from the Village Quire who has a wide collection of folk songs we can try out. The meetings are being held weekly at Cymbach Chapel starting at 7.30 and cost £4 a session. Depending on who is going each week a car share may be available so ask among the group. The first session covered 10 songs, some very old, with some familiar regulars from the folk clubs.

Events

Saturday 26th March: Our very own Ceilidh at Escleyside Hall complete with snacks and a licensed bar. Children go free, so why not make it a family night out.

If we can make a modest profit on this event we will be able to invite more groups and singers to local events as well as paying for the occasional master class or singing workshop from well established names on the folk scene. In the meantime we are building up a list of experienced people who might be able to give their services free of charge. If the Ceilidh goes well....who knows?

1st May: Arthurs Stone: See the sun rise with Fox Whelp Morris (To be confirmed)

Friday 6th May: at the Lion Ballroom in Leominster. Pete Coe supported by Hop Pickers Feast and a few 'old boys'. (In aid of a Cambodian charity)

Saturday 18th June: at the Court Yard Theatre, we have a Ceilidh with vintage 'Porridge' with young 13 year old Cohen Kilcoyne'Boy Wizard' on all instruments!!! (In aid of a Cambodian charity)

News from the Village Quire: www.villagequire.org.uk/ There are lots of events planned for 2011, not only workshops & concerts with the Village Quire, but also a vocal workshop & concert with folk musician John Kirkpatrick (from the BBC series Victorian Farm) later in the year. For details of this and all our concerts an eye on the website above.
28th September and 1st October: The Village Quire at St John’s Church Newton for Workshop and at St.Margaret's Church for concert.

'High Days and Holidays in the Welsh Border Marches'. More details soon but put these dates in your diary
28th Sept Workshop at Newton Church, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm
30th Sept Rehearsal at St. Margarets Church 7.30 pm - 8.00 pm
1st Oct Concert at St. Margaret’s Church 7.30 pm, (joined by workshop)

Cas’s gig list updated February 2nd 2010: for those of you who don’t mind a bit of a journey across the border into Wales to see an artist you really like you may find this guide useful. It is supplied by the lady who runs the Pontardawe Folk Club. Also, check out @folkorbit on twitter who follows @FolkWorkshops

News from Susie Stockton

Polly Bolton is starting a monthly Friday Night folk choir starting on April 15th, then May 20th and 17th June. At the Women's Centre in Ludlow , from 7pm till 8.30. She'll be teaching her own harmony arrangements of traditional British songs.

The Oak Barn singing camp will be running for the 12th year from July 29th to 31st and they will be having the same facilitators as last year; Polly Bolton, Sue Harris, Gitka Partington and Mark Thomas. The cost this year will be £120 for the whole weekend if you are staying at the centre or £40 for a whole day if you are dropping in. Details will be on her website soon or contact her. info@oak-barn.co.uk OAK BARN CENTRE, CLEE ST MARGARET,CRAVEN ARMS,SHROPSHIRE,SY7 9DT,01584 823609

Also from Roxane Smith: are on www.harmonyjunky.co.uk/ will be running a new camp, with some good friends, on the weekend of June 10th-12th, near Leominster, www.herefordharmony.org.uk/

And finally, forget Glastonbury, and all the others. Why not support your local Folk Festival at Garway. Find full details on: www.learningobjectivity.com/garwayfolkweekend
This is probably enough to be going on with.