The very first song I sang before an audience was with a pal of mine at a works do competition.
We did a fair rendition of the Everley Brothers number "Dream" and carried off the second prize.
I was and still am a great fan of Buddy Holly (leave him alone Dick) and was lucky enough to see him live when in his pomp. I have never sung any of his songs to an audience.
My mother who had a lovely voice persuaded me to sing to the joanna in one of the local pubs and I enjoyed that - especially when other people asked me for requests.
Other venues followed but once I started singing in Folk Clubs that part of my song activities ceased apart from leading the community singing at Rugby Club events.
Times change and societies have to live with that but that does not mean it is wrong to remember and preserve things from the past which are part of our culture.
To go through a meaningless and potentially expensive exercise to perhaps tick an extra box to help fill the begging bowl to protect the odd meaningless job or two is not the way to do it.
John Moulden hopes that the people he knows on the board might take some interest in this thread - but I very much doubt it.
"They" always know best - ask Boris the Buffoon.