I appreciate everyone's kind words and without going into details, this shows me what good freinds and associates I have in this business. Whilst I realise that I am not invincible! Anyone can book bands for an event, and co-ordinate the event, work with a team of volunteers, cook meals for artists, run Martin Carthy around in my old ford focus, buy the riders, clean up after each set of artists, make more sandwiches, organise the venues, talk to the licencees, before, during and after the event, clean up again, make more sandwiches, make sure my husbands bands don't clash, feed my children whilst they sit for hours on an undermanned ticket desk, clean up after punters leave, move chairs on and off a dance floor, arrange take out food for hard working sound engineers, make cups of tea for artists, liaise with stewards, MC's (whose professionalism I am indebted to) act as stage manager, Mrs Clean up, feed my own kids again, re-tidy artists dressing rooms, and dash about making sure that bands appear at the right venues, find them when they arrive at the wrong ones..... don't get me wrong, I do have help from brilliant volunteers and stewards and their families, I have endless phone calls about anything from a lost band to a time muddle up, all solvable and resolved on the spot and have a successful gig or two with my own band, yes that brought in an audience too! And for the record I am not paid - I know the rules! Hang on, don't Fairport play at Fairport Convention? Don't the Levellers play at Beautiful Days, Oysterband at Big Session... ???

Oh and for those who are not sure and still think I am the woman who just books the bands as I was informed on the final night by an inebriated director whom I wouldn't allow onto the stage mid concert, those said bands come to MFAB because whether huge artistes or local up and coming young folkies, they come because I ask them to, because they want the prestige of being at a well run festival with a huge reputation, because they want to be seen at MFAB and some come for little or no money because being at MFAB is worth more, or for a very reduced fee - because of same reason and because they like me and trust me - and in mistakenly calling those same musicians 'my friends' it has been suggested that I am showing a 'conflict of interest' in my choice of bookings. How wrong that accusation is.

If any of the bands booked this year for fringe or mainstage by myself were there for any ulteriour motive on my part is a very big and virtually slanderous proposal. I have built up relationships with some of the biggest and the best artists in the folk world and the unheard of's on their way up, and am very proud of those relationships. Without which the current directors seem to have missed the crucial point, without those relationships and negotiations with both artists and agents alike, I could not have achieved a festival this year that not only made money on ticket sales but brought us back from a deficit last year. I am both hurt and saddened that non of those directors actually spoke to me about those concerns in advance of the festival, but due to a final unpleasant incident at the end of the last concert, witnessed by many I felt obliged to resign.

Sadly the exciting plans I had for booking the mainstage bands for next year will now not come to fruition certainly not under the current guise of MFAB. I don't know why I am writing this here, perhaps because I am a genuinely honest person who is feeling a little hurt right now and who has given up 7 years of mine and my families life to volunteering at a music festival, which we have all truly enjoyed and as those of you who do similar know it isn't just a once a month meeting, but I'll get over it, I have had messages of support not just on here but news travels fast and I have had emails and text messages from many people who know what has taken place.

Alongside the current chair of MFAB with whom I have no issue with who is as distressed as I am I hope we will be making a public statement next week. By next week this will all be old news!

Thank you for letting me have a rant! Perhaps I needed to get that off my chest! I am moving on! Look forward to seeing some of you at festivals over the summer!

Liz