Speaking for myself again, it sounds like there may have been a few misunderstandings along the way. My understanding was that the heating in the hall wasn't on until about ten minutes before the stepping workshop, but that obviously didn't apply to the concert, which was several hours later. I know some folks don't like kids, but I thought it was great to have a young stepper performing, both because she was so good and also because stepping should not be confined to older people.

It seems unfair to call us an electric band! Two of us play electric instruments with one of us switching to acoustic fiddle, and the other three play acoustic instruments. By my maths that makes us predominantly acoustic.

If your intention in calling us electric is to convey the idea that we're a noisy, ebullient outfit I would have to agree. I would also take the point that it might not be what some people would expect in a session - but I have no hesitation in saying that we've had many great singing and music sessions playing this way over nearly 20 years of working together.

I have one more point I would make in our defence.

We took great care to take up no more room than five musicians could be expected to occupy. My recollection is that none of us occupied more than one seat or chair, that Richard and Charlie were as cramped as they can be while still able to play, and that the band's gear didn't occupy a single seat that could have been filled by a person.

I spent the session perched on the end of a three-seat bench, with the other two seats occupied by other people. My small amp was perched on the floor in a space at the end of the bench, and my fiddle and Jeffries duet tina were tucked under the bench. I'd compare that with the common session situation where one geezer and his acoustic guitar takes up a space that could otherwise seat two or three!

Gavin Atkin, speaking for himself, and NOT the organising committee!