The side I am in is very mixed in ages, last year we had two new very young dancers, and we have at least 10 dancers aged 18-30. Several of these are linked to the team through family, but not all!

Our team seems to be going through a very healthy phase, but its difficult to pin down exactly what is the key to success.

"Programmes, leaflet drops, posters, "come and have a go" nights etc etc. All of these seem to have a very low return/success rate."

I think lack of active promotion seems to work for us. A certain level of exclusivity (but not cliqueiness) makes people curious. If you look too try hard, people will be put off.

Another important factor is the non-dancing aspect of the side. Would younger people find anything appealing about a night out with the team, do you have a laugh, a bit of banter, or do you sit around talking about the tradition all night? If someone becomes a dancer they are not going to suddenly become interested in every aspect of the folk world.