Isn't enough that people are singing ballads without hiking to a notion of a tradition? The ballads are our common heritage and however they've come to us, surely in this day and age that they're being sung by anyone is miracle enough especially in a folk scene where they're almost universally reviled.

If any Fylde-goers fancy an impromptu ballad session this year, PM me and I'll see if there's any suitable down-time somewhere we might use for an hour or so...