It seems to me that it would be a bit much to ask for the festival to put even more 'official' performers in a venue such as The Crown. There are already at least five events a day at which people can perform, more or less informally, i.e. lunchtime in the Nep, the Nelson (and I think that's two a day, isn't it?), the Woodshed, the Folk Club and the Singaround, all of which have someone leading them. Surely casual performers who can't find what they want in any of those should be able to get their own session going in The Crown, and make it work for them. That's what we did in that very place twenty-something years ago, which led to the official Singaround in subsequent years.

Barbara