Hi Eliza C,

Sorry if you took me comments as a personal attack on Steve Heap. This was abolutely not my intention. I too have been a Sidmouth devotee for many years, and I know Steve is true to his ideal of an international folk festival. The people I was getting at are the likes of our anonymous GUEST, who regard the fringe (a word I hate) as somehow not worth spending time on. This attitude shows such a complete lack of knowledge or concern for the venues which produced many of the acts these people pay to see, that I cannot take them seriously. In a few years time they will happily part with large sums of money to listen to some of the people I shall be hearing, and performing with, at Sidmouth this August. Obviously they believe that anything that is free must be second rate, which rather defines their stance vis-a-vis folk music. They know the price of everything, and the value of nothing.

Don T.