Over the years, I've been involved in several attempts to establish networks of people interested in 'minority' music (folk or otherwise). There are two methods that seem to work fairly well.

1) Find half a dozen enthusiasts, willing to hold occasional gatherings in their homes. Meet, say, once a month, with a different member as host each time. Invite interested friends to come along. When the crowd gets too big to fit into anyone's parlour, rent a public room in an accessible location, and start charging people to come in. If they keep coming, supplement your local performers with occasional guest artists from outside the community, and advertise them in the local newspaper. (Nowadays, you can also spread the word via the web.)

2) Alternatively, find a suitable venue (coffee-house, pub, community arts centre, or whatever), with a sympathetic manager. Then try and persuade them to include a regular folk-night in their entertainment package. This is a riskier method, because if audience numbers don't build up quickly, the proprietors will probably pull the plug on you. (And even if the event is successful, a change of ownership, or a change of policy, can still shut you down abruptly.)

Either way, the rule is 'use it or lose it'. Most of these gatherings survive because a small cluster of people turn up regularly, and help keep the show running. Not just the performers, but also the unsung heroes and heroines who do the less glamorous (but equally necessary) chores. And the hard core audience, of course. Without their commitment, the show can't go on.

There's another asset that's a great help in getting a scene started - or keeping it going once it's started. In your community, you may be lucky enough to have a shop selling records (and/or sheet music, instruments, strings, picks etc,) with at least one staff member who's on your side. If they have room for a small notice board, this can provide almost all the publicity you need. (In return, give their store a plug at your club nights.)

And this leads to one final suggestion. If you are desperate for congenial musical company, visit all your local music stores, and find the ones that sell the sort of stuff that interests you. Buy a record, or some sheet music, or a pack of strings, and engage the staff in conversation. If they seem to be on your wave-length, then ask where the local action is. You may believe you're living in a musical desert - but chances are there's a scene going on that you haven't noticed yet.

Wassail!