Craft Fair traders find that Shrewsbury Folk Festival charges considerably less than a lot of other festivals - that's why many come back year after year. I want quality and variety and I think we have that. There is an incentive for people who make their own items - they pay 30% less than traders but they are thin on the ground these days and there is nothing I can do about that. I used to give the CF people free tickets to the festival until I found stalls shut because the stall holders were in the concerts. So, they were paying a lot less for their stall than a festival ticket cost – making money when they wanted to and then seeing concerts. Some would say they took advantage.

I noticed on another thread that Sally Lemon grumbled about being asked to submit a tender. This, by the way, only applies to caterers. As an organiser I didn't want to overcharge nor undercharge and decided that the best thing to do was ask the caterers what it was worth to them. What's wrong with that? The result was that I had been undercharging. Now the fees are much more realistic. It's not all about money because I turned down two caterers who were offering quite a bit more than others. It's all about getting the balance right and that is all I attempt to do.