Captain wrote:
"I have been a professional folksinger for over thirty years,and I [along with many other professional folk singers]have done more to PROMOTE English folksong,than EFDSS with its passive attitude towards song,."

Don't disagree with you in that that's how I saw it up until I got stuck in... the AGM that I got elected at had a Tea Dance as the afternoon attraction.... you can guess my reaction :-) However, that's what outside folk see, what they don't see is Malcolm and the team beavering away in the library sending information on song, story, dance, music, customs aound the UK and round the globe. Outsiders don't read the Journal, they don't read EDS, they don't understand that the Society does one hell of a lot of work in the areas of song and music.

Captain also wrote:
"I also believe the LACK of promotion of english folk song by EFDSS,was accelerated when they withdrew from running festivals.
letting professional organisers run folk festivals is no guarantee that ENGLISH Folk music will be promoted.
Iwould be happierto see EFDSS running festivals.[they used to manage it very well]."

I completely agree with you on this .....

Promotion has not been one of the Society's strengths... that's going to change... but don't expect overnight miracles... It took almost 6 years for the last similar change programme that I was involved in to bear fruit so we're only just starting.. you'll see buds and shoots, some things will work, some things will fail, but at the end of the day EFDSS will change into a strong, vibrant, relevant, proactive organisation - and if it works out the way that I'd personally like it to, we'll maybe manage a couple or three Folk Festivals in there!!

Now is the time for us all to check our egos and the past at the door and get stuck in - I'll take advice from anyone, warranted criticism from anybody, practical help (financial or otherwise) from everyone to get this change process up and running.

Robbie