Swindon folk club,Founded by Ted & Ivy Poole and friends in 1960, Swindon Folksingers’ Club has a long history of keeping traditional music alive in this busy town in north-west Wiltshire. From its beginnings in the folk revival, the club has seen Swindon’s character change from railway town to a modern centre of new technology and financial services; but through it all, Swindon Folksingers’ Club has remained as a friendly, relaxed and welcoming place where anyone can come and sing or listen.         

The Topic was founded in 1956 by Alex Eaton - once he had left the local Young Communist League choir - and some friends. It was the height of the Cold War, with Suez and the Hungarian Uprising dominating the headlines. From its very beginnings as a fairly informal opportunity for like-minded youths - many of them teenagers still at school - to get together and talk politics and sing folk songs or play skiffle, up to its current policy of around two-thirds guest acts, The Topic was always and remains now a weekly club (sometimes, in the earliest days, twice-weekly).
just to show different perspectives,
however Swindon did not exclude people playing skiffle or singing blues as floor spots[ as far as i remember],although guest booking policy was more in the direction of tradtional music