For the sake of accuracy and understanding, I think it's important that everyone should be aware that the Lewes Arms is actually an extremely unusual club - of a type of which there are only a handful in England, and with a number of other unique features too. The majority of artists who play there (for no guarantee, just door take) also conduct a well-paid workshop on the same day, which does have a significant impact on the whole deal. The workshops are very well established and very well respected and attended, and although there are other clubs in England who do this, I suspect the Lewes Arms is at the forefront in terms of numbers, and perhaps reputation. This makes it something of a UK hub - and sets it well apart from the other 95% of clubs in England. Also, there are TWO very successful clubs in Lewes, making the town something of a local hot-spot as well. That puts the Lewes Arms into a unique position - or very rare anyway. I understand that both clubs have been going for a long time - since the days when having two clubs in one town was quite common. This survival is down to the skill, hard work and dedication of both club teams (specially Vic and Valmai, who make the key decisions), both of whom know exactly what they are doing.

They also benefit each other with a synergy in marketing and promotion - which is again not unique, but unusual.

There IS a lot that other clubs can learn from the Lewes situation, but only if the full story is understood and taken into consideration - because without that understanding we could get a lopsided view of what might work or not in a 21st Century club. For example it's probably unlikely that setting up a new club today, next to an existing long-standing club, would produce a similar result, though I guess it might work (and even work very well) if there was co-operation between the teams, and a clearly defined strategy - going for different markets and/or putting on different types of event, for example.

Certainly many clubs promote their friend/rival clubs in their newsletters (Roland Walls' York club is a superb example) and ideas for twinning clubs in various ways have been raised in various places too.

By the way - if you run a club and would like to join the closed Folk Club Organisers forum, please mail:

folkclubs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

but you MUST say who you are, which club or venue you're involved with, and why you'd like to join up. I can't go letting any old riff-raff in, now can I! :-)

Tom