Dick, thanks for the recognition of Ted and Ivy's hard work and dedication at the Swindon Folksingers Club.

The name Folksingers sums up their attitude to the club. It is a club for people who want to sing. Anybody of any capability with any repertoire can sing. It usually goes round with just one song each. If it's a singers night, it may get round twice if you're lucky.

Guests are booked to please the people who go to sing as well as listen.

Thanks should also go to the dedicated team who are taking over the mantle of running the club.

As far as the comments on festivals are concerned, they are completely different to clubs, of course. They both operate in the "folk" world. Just as many clubs work in different ways, singaround, guest only, floor singers, resident group, so festivals are each different in their own way, song, dance, display, ceilidh, international, traditional...

You choose whatever suits you.

But whatever it is (club or festival) it needs to be well managed with a dedicated people to ensure it continues through the bad times as well as the good.

To those dedicated few who run clubs and festivals, I take may hat off to them all and wish them well for the future and for their past efforts.

And one last thought on this subject, that many favourite guests at festivals would not be there without the folk clubs they started from. And going back to the wonderful work of Ted & Ivy Poole, two who began their singing at the Swindon club are Mick Ryan and Dave Webber. The world would be a far worse place without the talent of those two great singers, so yet another reason for a big thank you to Ted and Ivy.

If anyone from EFDSS is reading this message, how about a Gold badge for them?

Cheers

Julian