The next issue of fRoots - June 2009 No. 311 - will see the magazine celebrating 30 years of continuous publication during which time it has been edited by the same person leading a small dedicated team. It has never failed to meet its deadlines and been a source of inspiration and information to thousands of people all over the world. In the current recession where many independent British magazines have already gone to the wall, it will be a minor miracle if it survives at all with the way that things are going in terms of the cuts in advertisers' budgets . If fRoots does fail - and I don't know but I would imagine that it is hanging on by its fingernails at the the moment, then Britain will have lost one of its finest independent magazines of any nature along with one of the folk scene's best sources of support and sponsorship.

In 2006, when I was setting up and tour managing the long Britain-wide Shirley Collins "America Over The Water" tour, I tentatively approached Ian Anderson for a reduction in the cost of advertising space for the tour. His response was to give us large prominent adverts in several editions for free. We offered him free tickets for the tour's culminating show at London's South Bank. He replied saying he would have loved to have come but that he was so near the deadline that he couldn't spare the evening off. I know that my experience is not unique and that fRoots has sponsored many tours, festivals, events with free advertisments.

If any thread were to appear at this time, it should be one that celebrates the manifold achievements of this decades-long beacon of excellence rather than narrow-minded sniping over content that supports particular favourites or repeated mis-information about small-minded disputes.

Even, if people don't like the direction that the magazine has moved in, there should be a recognition that half a lifetime has gone into a magazine that has set the standards for what can be acheived in this field.

It would be very pleasant, though unlikely, that this thread could be turned into just such a celebration.