Helmsley Festival next weekend

Subject: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,Steve Gardham
Date: 04 May 08 - 06:24 PM

Hi,
If you're anywhere near Helmsley next weekend 9th to 11th you would be welcome to join in any of the workshops/sessions. I know many of you will be at Holmfirth, but if you haven't decided yet and Helmsley is nearer or you like their lineup give it a try. It's in its second year and they're trying hard.
Concerts...Friday, Last Night's Fun, Saturday, Jez Lowe, and Sunday, Vin Garbutt.
Sat 1.30-4 we've got a Yorkshire Garland workshop promoting our website and singing Yorkshire songs, and featuring Will Noble and John Cocking
Sun 10.30-12.30 Jezz Lowe singing workshop
    10-12 musicians' session
    1.30-4 Singaround
Also open sessions in the Royal Oak pub.
More details from 01439 771700

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Folkiedave
Date: 05 May 08 - 04:44 AM

That's a great line-up Steve.

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 05 May 08 - 04:46 AM

Apart from the Royal oak what are the venues?
Cheers

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Banjiman
Date: 05 May 08 - 05:48 AM

Hi Steve,

Just a polite question. Can I ask where this has been promoted?

We're only about 25 miles away yet have heard nothing about this festival and would love to have come...but with 2 smallish children we just can't organise things in 1 week. Running KFFC I would have advertised it for you as well....if we'd known.

Great line up. Good luck.

Paul

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: nutty
Date: 05 May 08 - 12:57 PM

Paul - I suggested that the organisers should contact you months ago when the project was in it's infancy.

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Nick
Date: 05 May 08 - 03:54 PM

I'll mention it on Wednesday as we are a good deal closer still. Might be an idea to let Roland at the Black Swan know and he can mention it on Thursday perhaps - it wasn't in his last newsletter so I presume he is also blissfully unaware

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,Steve Gardham
Date: 05 May 08 - 05:49 PM

Thanks for those responses.
Firstly the organiser is not a folky and as far as I know the only person giving any help and advice apart from myself is John Greaves who is a retired farmer/ source singer/ who sees to logistics at various festivals. I have strongly advised that she enlists the help of local folkies, but this has not happened. I also recommended she should contact Roland. I helped out at last year's inaugural simply because John gave her my contact details and I gave of my limited knowledge and contacts. Having said all this, as you say, she has managed to at least book an astounding line up for the concerts. I offered my help once again for workshops/sessions/minor concerts and this I am doing. Last year's singaround went very well but the afternoon concert was very poorly attended. On my recommendation she advertised in all of our regional magazines, Tykes/Stirrings etc.

If anyone else is willing/ can offer further help for this year and future years, I'm sure this would be appreciated. I have no experience in organising festivals. All official events take place in Helmsley Arts Centre. Jean Kershaw, the organiser, would also be pleased to hear from any dance/mummers teams willing to perform.

Cheers,
Steve

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Banjiman
Date: 06 May 08 - 03:17 AM

Steve,

Is there a website anywhere? Do you have any contact details?

Thanks

Paul

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: nutty
Date: 06 May 08 - 05:18 AM

I've sent you a PM, Paul

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Carol
Date: 06 May 08 - 07:28 AM

Steve
Do you think there;ll be singaorounds in the Royal Oak all over the weekendand is there any camping available please?

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,padraig
Date: 06 May 08 - 11:42 AM

Sessions in the Royal Oak apparently
http://www.helmsleyarts.co.uk/content.php?TSID=18495

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Gedpipes
Date: 06 May 08 - 11:45 AM

Anyone know if there are musicians sessions on the friday or saturday
Cheers
Blue skies
Ged

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,Steve Gardham
Date: 06 May 08 - 01:20 PM

Contact details
Box office 01439 771700
Online www.helmsleyarts.co.uk
On the flier it says
The Royal Oak
welcomes musicians & singers from 2pm-6pm and again after 8.30 p.m.
www.theoak-helmsley.co.uk
Tel [phone].

I've no idea who else may be coming, but hell, Helmsley's a bonny place anyway. Sit by the stream and watch the swallows and yellow wagtails flitting about and play your wonderful pipes to them.

Camping, Griff Farm Tel [phone] (after 7pm)

From little acorns great Royal Oaks grow!
Steve

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Carol
Date: 06 May 08 - 01:34 PM

Very true

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,padraig
Date: 07 May 08 - 09:28 AM

Gedpipes
Royal Oak 2-6 afternoons apparently - see link above
P

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,Fantum
Date: 07 May 08 - 10:38 AM

The Oak has sent me two pieces of information see below
The only day the Oak is involved is Sunday



Sunday we serve food all day till 6pm but hopefully if the weather is good we have a nice beer garden people could play in
Artists can play whenever we are not doing food/ between 3 & 5:30pm and then from 9pm onwards

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 07 May 08 - 02:07 PM

Where's the singaround usually held? From reading the posts above, the Oak seems quite restricted in available hours and more for musicians or musicians&singerscombined ?

BTW Steve - Hey, Yellow wagtails? or d'you mean grey wagtails??

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,Steve Gardham
Date: 07 May 08 - 07:22 PM

Singaround's in the Arts Centre bar as last year and the waggies that I saw were very bright yellow and definitely wagging. Flitting up and down the little stream near the Feversham. But then I'm not a twitcher!

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Gedpipes
Date: 11 May 08 - 09:49 AM

turned up in said pub on saturday night waited until 21.30
no musicians

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Betsy
Date: 11 May 08 - 11:33 AM

Hiya Gedpipes , me and a guy I met called Nick toured Helmsley on Saturday 2.30-ish with our guitars looking for you, or a bit of music / singing.
The only sign of anything was a bunch of a dozen or so at the back of Arts Centre who to put it very kindly were a sedate lot.
Sadly I note that although they intend to have a singaround on Sunday , there is also a "do" at the Station at Loftus from noon on with a session afterwards at 6 o'clock.
Why-o-why can't organizers get the basics right, instead dividing potential attendance.

Look forward to seeing you another time.

Cheers Betsy.

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Pistachio
Date: 11 May 08 - 05:40 PM

Steve, Thanks for a great singaround, outside the back of the Arts centre this afternoon. We enjoyed all the varied songs, meeting friends 'old and new 'and listening to the birdsong!
Regards,
'Hissyfit'

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,Steve Gardham
Date: 11 May 08 - 06:09 PM

Thanks for coming, girls. Enjoyed your singing. Sedate on Saturday? I blame it on the weather! See you all at Shepley then Beverley and let's hope the weather keeps sedate. Must be these sedatives I've bin takin'.
Steve

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,Chris Brownbridge
Date: 11 May 08 - 06:42 PM

This festival sounds as if it was great. Why (oh why?!?)was it kept quiet until the last moment? I only heard about it here, after it was over! Thanks Steve for letting us know - but you seem to have done it more as a concerned individual. Did the organisers advertise at all - Helmsley's in my back yard and I generally get to know what goes on there. If this sounds like a rant, it's not meant to be but I don't want to miss next year (sounds of tears falling into beer).

BTW - there are Yellow, Grey and Pied Wagtails as well in the Helmsley area - and they're all lovely.

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 11 May 08 - 06:58 PM

The singaround at the arts centre was perfectly paced for a very hot afternoon with the likes of will noble and john cocking it was a lovely way to spend a summers day

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Graveyard
Date: 12 May 08 - 04:11 AM

Hi Steve, The Bridge Folk Club (Newcastle) got full details of the event a few months ago.

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Northerner
Date: 12 May 08 - 11:13 AM

Thank you for the lovely singaround at the Arts Centre Steve. Singimg with good companions, in a beautiful spot on a fine sunny day - it doesn't get much finer than that. Make sure the publicity is out nice and early next year and I'll give it a mention at my local clubs.

Diane Taylor

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 12 May 08 - 05:21 PM

Tanks Diana -I am happy to distribute lealfets next year at Cottingham Live.

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,Steve Gardham
Date: 13 May 08 - 11:20 AM

Thanks for all those comments. Considering that the organiser Jean Kershaw has no folk background whatsoever I think she did a brilliant job. I still think she could do with some local help and folk festival knowhow. She is looking at the possibility of moving the date to later in the year so as not to clash with other Yorks fests. She tells me she did advertise in Folk News/Stirrings and Tykes. I did suggest LT but she thought at the time this was too expensive. I am trying to put her in touch with other fest organisers and have strongly advised starting to organise next year's now.

Concert-wise LNF was a sell-out, Gez L had about 20 tickets left as did Vin. They were all great gigs as you would have expected.

Luv,
Steve

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Banjiman
Date: 13 May 08 - 11:26 AM

Steve,

Just let Jean know that she only needs to get in touch if there is anything we can do to help. We're not hard to find!

She should advertise in The Folk Roundabout as well.

Cheers

Paul Arrowsmith

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: GUEST,Steve Gardham
Date: 13 May 08 - 04:02 PM

Paul,
Thanks for that. Where are you based?
I'll certainly pass the message on.

Steve

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Banjiman
Date: 13 May 08 - 04:14 PM

Steve,

Just outside Northallerton, I organise (using the term loosely!) Kirkby Fleetham Folk Club, you should visit sometime! The wife sings a bit too.

Paul

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: stallion
Date: 13 May 08 - 06:22 PM

Paulo!
what's this "loosely" business, a pretty tight ship I think!

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Northerner
Date: 14 May 08 - 09:56 AM

The festival was actually advertised in Folk Roundabout. There was a half page ad. Takes a while to get into public consciousness though.

I enjoyed the Sunday workshop with Jez Lowe, and the singaround, even if I was a bit of an idiot telling a ghost story in broad daylight. Good story, just the wrong time and place for it.

Subject: RE: Helmsley Festival next weekend
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 15 May 08 - 01:05 PM

I will pass on any details around Grimsby area next year if you need it doing matey
Sounds like agood weekend and I know is a lovely place to have it