Mr Schofield, I stand corrected re the Radway. I must buy your book. Although by "session" I meant the meeting of musicians dancers and singers which I had understood were centred around the Radway originally, and at which I have no doubt music was played. I was not suggesting that any sort of music was played in the local pubs before that time, although most pubs in that era had pianos, which might presuppose that there were reasonably competent pianists in the community, if not other instrumentalists, and who played fairly frequently.

I would take issue with you over the history of sessions (but not here), but certainly the festival session where musicians play frantically for several hours until they are exhausted, and are then replaced with fresh blood, the process repeating until the publican wishes to retire, are a modern phenomenon.(although it sounds a bit like a pagan religious rite!)

If local traders profit from the festival (and they may not all do so - I don't see many saucepans bought in that marvellous shop in the middle of Sidmouth) it is only fair that they support the festival either financially or in kind. Name and shame them. If the Radway doesn't support the festival, I for one will neither play nor drink there, regardless of how good the musicians may be.

******

With a couple of exceptions I don't think there has been any "festival bashing".Sidmouth especially has provided examples, because many of us are familiar with it. I referred to the Middlewich programme beacause there was no mention of sessions, but I see on the current pages there are several listed under "Fringe".

The Sidmouth programme also has listed "fringe" session venues recently, and apparently will this year, but there is no mention of this on the (very attractive, but I hope not very expensive) website, nor any mention of workshops or tickets for them. Worrying.

*******

I am upset and annoyed that musicians playing in sessions at festivals are regarded as parasites by some people. They might reflect that the festival is to celebrate the music that we and our predecessors, and our counterparts in other countries, have played through the centuries, whether or not in uninterrupted sequence.

Joan, you know I've said before that we folkies are quite capable of having our own festival without an outside organisation to run it. But I, and all those I know, really do appreciate the effort you put in that we couldn't, most especially the facilities for children to become familiar with music while their parents have the chance to go off and dance and play, and for the more mature young musicians to learn more about the music they play. (for "music" read "almost all art forms!").   Thanks to you all.


See you in Sidmouth! I intend to enjoy it.