When I was a youngster, aged 20 or so (no, this is not the beginning of a folk song, but it could be...), I was knocked for six by Shirley Collins singing "Pretty Saro" with the accompaniment of Davy Graham on guitar. I can't describe the excitement I felt at hearing the purity of Shirley's voice with the beautiful modal playing of Davy - it married the old and the unusual to create something new and exotic. I thought it was wonderful then, and I think it wonderful today.

I'm using this as purely as an example of the sort of thing that can move young people to become interested in the music. Whether you like or dislike Shirley and Davy's experimentation is not relevant to my point - which is that the difference, the approach, the nature of the sound was what caught me up and wanted me to try it for myself. You can't and shouldn't expect the future of any art to be static, and you can't and shouldn't expect people indulging in the art not to experiment and play with the art.

There are some excellent artists working in stained glass today, producing beautiful artefacts in the medium. There are some beautiful pieces of medieval stained glass in churches all over the country. What's to worry over? It's stained glass. The tradition and the art goes on - different but continuous. I'm sure folk music - songs and tunes, by the way (lest ye forget), will go the same way.