Fiddler asked : This site (SeeRed) seems too good to be true and if so, how come he did not inform us all of what was going on a lot earlier?

Reply: The first public announcement was the press release of May 2004 from Mrs Casey Music. Councillors knew what was likely to happen back in February 2004, because Steve Heap had told them then. The Peter Mason report was commissioned even earlier (if you believe some dates), as early as Autumn 2003.

Until May 2004 and the subsequent Town Meeting in June there was no perceived reason to extend my website to cover the 'folk festival' issue. When the need did arise this was done and the first 20 or so pages were loaded within a few days. It will be kept up to date usually with a delay of only a few days. It already contains a full range of views about the festival and will continue to do so.

The SeeRed site is about far more than the Festival - the latest addition is an article on recycling I wrote for a local environmental charity. Comments welcome. You will find the link on the index page or try this http://www.seered.co.uk/recycling.htm


There is concern that the festival image should not be sullied by whatever happens in 2005. The potential income from a week of concerts in the Arena (which I think is a not a particularly good idea for reasons already stated) is around £250,000. Any net profits (maybe as high as £200,000 if the venue is made available by EDDC for free and if the weather stays fine all week?) should be invested for the good of future folk festivals and all monies taken etc should be totally under the independent control of people not connected with any particular councillor or other individual. If such an 'arena centred' event had been held this week it would have been a wash-out.

A few more pages have been added to the folk section of SeeRed - nothing very exciting but starting here ...http://www.seered.co.uk/folk36.htm

I said some time ago the dust needed to settle now. My own view is in the long term it should be folk people who run the festival not EDDC. EDDC should simply give some money (or free venues) and watch it happen.

Problem is, could anyone make it work as well or better than Steve Heap and his experienced team?