Morning Sooz

i set off 6am and as back by 7.30am!! Monday

Quiet night in Conservative club last night

Thanks to ALL who entered Fred Jordan Competition for Unaccompanied Trad Style singers

This year's winner was John Cherry from York who set the audience alight with Village Pump. His attitude toward the competition was spot on ~ he never expected to win! and was such a gentleman

There can only be one winner every year, and in my opinion there were some outstanding singers who were technically superb

However a great deal of emphasis is rightly brought into play in involving the audience positively in the performance

Communication skills and empathy with other singers and what they are singing about is paramount

My thanks to this years judged who I have spoken to post competition and I am sure that they have reached the 'right' decision taking all factors into account

£100 a 'Fred' to keep and an Annual Trophy to return!!

I do not judge and try to change the judges each year and can now say that following discussions Next year's judges will be announced in the Programme or appointed by the Festival Committee prior to the 2006 festival ~ a moving target should be more difficult to hit!!

My thanks to ALL entrants and help from my mate Glen Osborne for making the competition so interesting and varied

I do hope no one has been put off entering as Competitions can be nervewracking; a good experienece in which everyone 'raises their game' should not be offputting if entered into in the right spirit

Ray Padgett