Just a few more FACTS.

The August Bank Holiday was originally the first Monday in August. After a trial period from 1965 to 1970 the date was changed to the last Monday in August.

The current Whitby Folk Week takes place in the week - Saturday to Friday immediately preceeding the Bank Holiday.

The dates for WFW are 16th - 22nd August (as this year) at the earliest and 22nd - 28th August latest (as next year). I have lost count of the number of people and organisations I have given this formula to. The Regatta, the Council and the Local Paper could always be relied upon to lose the letter.

The festival started in 1966 as a predominently dance festival held in a local hotel. It gradually grew in the early years and by the mid
1970s had become 5 and a bit days with Wednesday night off for song except for the charity concert at the Friendship Club. (Strictly speaking this should not have occured as the festival was run by EFDSS, itself a registered charity). The Festival proper started with a Concert with Dance elements at the Spa Pavilion with the flat roof and kids running about on it on Sunday evening - 10.00pm finish.

The event finally became Whitby Folk Week in 1981 when Trevor Stone, Graham Pirt and Edmund Jenkinson became involved alongside Grahame Binless (anagram - a harmless being).

I became officially involved in 1982.