That is wonderful! Great for access.

One slight problem

"its funded by the council and the local business community"

Oh that means that dedication to the music is skin deep. Musicians or someone probably paid.

Don't you have hungry and homeless and out of work folks there?

One of my main concerns is that welfare is not the way to go for folk music. It is artificial and not sustaining. I know many folk musicians who have perfectly good day jobs and would not qualify as welfare cases who are on the public trough and play at government funded events.

One the main problems with socialized folk music is that it is limited the second is that it goes away and can not be depended on.
If you are not dependent upon limited funds you can hold more events.

A good start but I would suggest removal of the socialist teet.

Around here pro musicians have adapted by simply playing more paying private gigs- weddings and funerals, now that they are not booked up with socialized events.

Conrad